Hailey's Magic
by deafblackness
Summary: This is being totally rewritten. Don't read unless you want to be utterly confused. Hermione has a hard time picking up the pieces after a disastrous divorce. Who will try and help her?
1. Frustrating Predicaments

Hermione sighed as she walked around Diagon Alley. It helped her take her mind off some things. Come to think of it, not just some things, everything, actually. Why she had gotten fired as an Auror, why Harry died, why Ron was drinking too much trying to cope with Harry's death, and why Viktor had divorced her, leaving her to look after their two month old baby named Hailey.

Hermione stopped in front of Olivander's, and much to the surprise of passersby, broke down and collapsed on the pavement, sobbing. She couldn't take it any longer. When she left Hogwarts, she had so many things she wanted to accomplish; so many dreams….that had blown up in smoke when she got pregnant with Hailey. And what's more, Viktor had hardly been there for her. And she thought he was sweet when she first met him! But it only took a week being married to him to unleash his true colors. An uncaring, poor excuse for a husband. And now, he she was, jobless and single.

Hermione realized how much attention she was beginning to attract when an old man asked if she needed anything. She looked up and said no, and looked around and saw a number of people staring with concern at her. She took a deep breath and stood up. She stifled the remainder of her sobs and started to walk toward her apartment building, where her _positively lovely_ baby was waiting.

Hermione rang the doorbell of her apartment, and Ginny opened it for her, holding Hailey in her arms. Hermione smiled at Ginny appreciatively. "Thanks for watching over Hailey, Ginny. You don't know how hectic my life is right now." Ginny smiled. "I understand. Being a single mother isn't a piece of cake, Hermione. Just call me when you need anything, okay?" Hermione nodded. "Thanks, Ginny. You're a lifesaver." "I know. Anyway, I need to go, okay? I'll see you soon. Bye, Hermione!" "Bye."

Once Ginny shut the door behind her, Hermione's smile faded, and she looked at the baby tiredly. She had just put Hailey in her cradle when she started bawling. Hermione groaned. "What the hell do you want now?" It didn't need to answer, because an appalling smell reached her nose, and Hermione almost couldn't suppress the urge to scream. She changed Hailey's diaper and rocked her until she heard Hailey's even breathing. She gently put her in her cradle and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Hermione got into bed, and fell asleep as her head hit the pillow.

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Early the next morning, Hermione got up and ate cereal, fed Hailey, took a shower, and got into the best outfit she could find. She dressed Hailey, and put her in a stroller. She got out of her apartment with Hailey, and started towards the daycare center to drop Hailey off. (Thank Merlin she had enough money at the moment to pay for the daycare center. You see, she couldn't make Ginny watch over Hailey all the time. Ginny was busy sometimes, and therefore not available.) Once she did, she went inside The Leaky Cauldron. While she was ushered into the manager's office, she fought down all the tears that threatened to escape; she fought down the urge to scream and sob.

She had sunken so low. So low, that she didn't tell a single soul what she was applying for. So low, that she felt she was slipping into a depression. The Hermione Granger, Hogwart's bookworm and overachiever, Hogwart's valedictorian, was about to apply for a position as one of the housekeeping staff at the Leaky Cauldron.

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Hermione exited the Leaky Cauldron, with a smile plastered on her face. She had gotten the job! It wasn't a very good job, but she knew she would get promoted into….something else! Maybe assistant manager or…ah hell, she'd think about it later on. But for know, she was ecstatic. She could finally work again. But how could she explain this to Ginny? It would be humiliating, that's for sure, but she couldn't keep it from Ginny. Hermione's smile widened. She could finally feel like she was productive again, even though it was through making beds and cleaning toilets.

Smiling, she made her way to Hailey's daycare center. She decided, _Hailey and I are going to have a stroll in the park._

And with that thought, she pushed open the door of the daycare center and went inside, revealing a very happy Hailey.

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Hermione was at home, and she took a deep breath before Apparating to Ginny's house with Hailey. She got there safely, and she rang the doorbell, and it was answered be Ginny herself. Ginny looked surprised to see her, but ushered her in. "Hermione, what is it?" Hermione smiled. "I got a job!" Ginny smiled and clapped her hands. "You did? Already? So…what's the new job?" Here, Hermione sobered, and she took a deep breath before replying. What she answered was barely audible. "Housekeeping." Ginny's face fell, and Hermione broke down. Ginny wrapped her arms around her. "Come on, sit down, and let me take care of Hailey." Ginny was gone for a second to put Hailey inside a crib, but came back and comforted Hermione. "Hermione…it's alright…"

Hermione looked up at Ginny with miserable, bloodshot eyes. "No it's not, Ginny! Hermione Granger, Hogwart's valedictorian…housekeeping? Ginny, it isn't right! I'm not supposed to be someone who cleans up vomit on floors! I'm supposed to be successful…I'm supposed to be president of a company! I'm supposed….to…be…" Hermione stopped talking, she was crying too much to be coherent. "Oh, Ginny, I can't believe how much of a failure I am!" Ginny looked her straight in the eye. "Hermione Granger, you are **DEFINITELY NOT **a failure! You know why? Because you're strong! Look at all the unfortunate things that have happened to you! But have you given up? No! Hermione, you are not even close to a failure! You will be promoted to something else, you will be successful, and so I want you to stop crying **RIGHT NOW!**"

Hermione looked up at Ginny's stern face, and attempted to smile. Ginny understood and smiled back. "Good. Now, dry your tears, and let's talk about something else." Hermione hugged Ginny. "Thanks, Ginny. I feel so much better." Ginny hugged her back. "Anytime, Hermione. Anytime."

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Hermione woke up early the next day and did the exact routine she did the day she applied for the job. Once she dropped Hailey off, she made her way to the Leaky Cauldron, and went to the manager's office. When she entered, the manager was talking to a tall blonde girl. Hermione was about to excuse herself when the manager told her to stay. "Well, Hermione, since you're new, I have put you under the supervision of the head of housekeeping for the day, to show you the ropes. Hermione Granger, this is Andrea McGregor, Andrea McGregor, this is Hermione Granger." The two shook hands, and Hermione noted how friendly Andrea looked, and relaxed. "Well," Andrea said, "follow me."

Hermione did as she was told, and Andrea led her to a door labeled "Housekeeping". She opened the door. Hermione stepped inside the room, and there were quite a number of ladies in the room, doing whatever they felt like doing. Andrea spoke. "Okay, Hermione. These are not all of the housekeeping staff. The other half of us are doing their rounds around the hotel, cleaning rooms. The rest of us here are going to do the next round. Since you're new, you will be with me the whole day, and when I clean a room, you will help out and remember what I teach you." Hermione nodded. Andrea smiled. "Good. Now, housekeeping is harder than it looks, so I want you to prepare yourself for whatever, okay? But meanwhile, you can get to know the other girls here. Actually, you can do whatever you want until I call you, okay?" Hermione nodded again. "I know memorizing all this is hard, but don't worry. The lot of us are really friendly. You can approach anyone and they'll help you. Just remember that."

Hermione relaxed a bit more, and set off to get to know the others.

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By the time the day ended, Hermione was exhausted. Housekeeping really was tiring. Andrea was almost always called to clean a room, and Hermione was beginning to get sick of following Andrea. She basically knew everything she needed to know, including what to do when the toilet overflowed.

Hermione sighed as she made her way to Hailey's daycare center. She was going to have to work very hard if she were to keep this job.

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_1 MONTH LATER_

Hermione entered her apartment happily. She was glowing. The manager had changed her company! She was no longer part of the Leaky Cauldron staff, but part of the Three Broomsticks staff, and not as a housekeeper, (why would they need one?) but as a barmaid! It was definitely a better job. Not only did it not involve cleaning toilets, the pay was a lot higher! Finally, giving Hailey a better life seemed possible. But the reason why her manager thought she was fit for an entirely different job was anybody's guess.

Hermione beamed at Hailey, who, sensing her mother's happiness, was smiling too. Hermione took Hailey in her arms and fed her, and lulled her to sleep. Hermione had to tell Ginny. She dialed Ginny's number, but non one picked up. Hermione put the phone down. That was weird. Ginny's cell phone was always on. Hermione shrugged and got ready for bed. It was going to be her big day tomorrow.

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Hermione entered The Three Broomsticks and went inside the manager's office. "Mr. Evans?" "Yes?" "Well, I was just wondering…no one really told me what to do as a barmaid, I mean, I don't know-" "Ms.Granger, all you need to do is pour drinks." "Oh." There was awkward silence before she spoke again. "Well….I suppose I'll get to it then. Good day, Mr. Evans." Hermione made her way to the bar and thought. She didn't think pouring drinks was the only thing she would have to do.

_Well, it may be interesting. All I have to do is wait._

But not for long. Before she knew it, she was swarmed by middle aged fat men who were trying to hit on her and getting so drunk some passed out on their chairs. It was rather disgusting. But Hermione was strong, and she controlled her temper when some commented on her ass and when some refused to pay. It was nearing closing time when the bar finally emptied. Hermione rubbed her eyes sleepily. Being a barmaid was one of the hardest jobs she ever had. She was thinking these things when she heard an impatient voice call out to her. "Hey! Lady! Can I get a fucking beer?" Hermione turned around, extremely annoyed, and she was about to give the person a piece her mind when she realized who the person was, and lost the ability to speak.

Draco Malfoy, the worst possible person to meet in her position.

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Draco cursed angrily as he exited Gringotts. He was fucking fired. Dammit! He rubbed his temples as he walked through Diagon Alley. He then Apparated to Hogsmeade because he felt like it. He needed to clear his head, or forget about what had just happened to him. For some reason, walking around Hogsmeade made him feel better. He walked around for a while, thinking, when he found that his feet had taken him to the entrance of The Three Broomsticks. He stood there for a minute, wondering if he should go in or not. He finally came to a decision and walked in. He needed a beer.

He made his way to the bar, and sat down. Where was the fucking bartender? He looked around to see a woman cleaning glasses. A barmaid, eh? Draco called out. "Hey! Lady! Can I get a fucking beer?" The barmaid turned around, a pissed off expression etched on her rather attractive face. But the pissed off expression slowly changed to a look of shock, and then a look that said she wanted to be anywhere but there. Meanwhile, Draco was also beginning to realize who he just spoke to. He smirked.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Hogwarts valedictorian." That succeeded in pissing her off. "Shut your fucking mouth, Malfoy." "Granger, if I recall, barmaids are supposed to ask their customers what they want to drink." Granger narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine. What do you want to drink, asshole?" "Beer," he said, ignoring her insult. She glared at him as she poured him a pitcher of beer. "There. Now, drink your beer and shut up. I'm not in the mood to talk to you." "I don't think you ever were." "True. Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Come now, Granger! Don't you want to chat with an old friend?" Hermione snorted. "Old friend my ass! Drink your fucking beer, Malfoy." "Aren't you supposed to call me Sir?" Hermione glared at him. "No."

Draco downed his beer in one go. "Pour me another pitcher, will you?" She did. Neither talked and Draco once again downed his beer in one go. "Pour me another." Hermione looked at him incredulously. "Do you want to get drunk or something?" "As a matter of fact, yes, I do." "Why?" "None of your business." "Fine, _sir_." She poured him another. And another. And another, and when he asked for another, she refused. "You've had enough beer for one day, Malfoy." "Why do you care?" "I _care_ because I don't think your girlfriend would like to see you come home drunk." "I don't have a girlfriend." Hermione looked shocked. "Really. But I still don't think you should drink another pitcher of beer. You've had enough. Now go home." Draco paid and left without another word. When he left, Hermione cleaned up, and went home to Hailey. She lay in bed for a while, thinking. Today had been interesting, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was going to see Malfoy again.

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Author's whatever: Hoped you liked this chapter! I worked on this new story for a while, so please review:)


	2. Feelings

Draco walked back to his apartment (he moved out of the manor ages ago) and collapsed on the couch. He was stone drunk at the moment, and was not thinking clearly. All he remembered was that there was a brown eyed chick with a killer body that seemed pissed at him. What was her name again? He knew this…but he passed out seconds later and forgot all about his encounter with Hermione due to his major hangover the next morning.

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Draco exited his apartment early evening the next day. He had gotten a job at Zabini Inc., a company having something to do with the business of Muggles. He owed his new job to a very good friend of his, Mr.Zabini himself. He had gotten a job, and now he was going out to celebrate. And without knowing how, he discovered he was standing right in front of The Three Broomsticks. He stood there for a while; bewildered. It was like there was some invisible magnet drawing him here every single time.

He shrugged and went inside. He made his way straight for the bar, and seated himself. The barmaid was busy and Oh Merlin, it was Granger! How could he have forgotten? He shook his head and watched, amused as she fought off the old men trying to hit on her. She succeeded and made her way to his side of the bar, but stopped short when she saw his face. "You again? Please don't tell me you want to get drunk!" Draco smirked. "Actually, Granger, I've come here to celebrate." "Celebrate?" "Yeah. That day when I came here, I was fired from my job, and now I've gotten a new one." "Oh. Well, what do you want to drink, _sir_?" She smirked mockingly at him, which caused his stomach to do weird flips. What was wrong with him? He cursed angrily.

"Um…Malfoy? I hope you didn't come here to talk, because I don't really like talking to you. What do you want to fucking drink!" "Beer." "Again?" "Yes, again, Barmaid Granger!" Draco rolled his eyes irritably. Hermione looked like she was about to respond but she seemed to think better of it and gave him a pitcher of beer. She leaned against the bar countertop, and her wallet fell out of her breast pocket and landed, open, on the counter almost right in front of Draco. Draco was about to slide it over to her, but he caught sight of a dog-eared picture of a baby girl in a crib, smiling happily. Hermione snatched the wallet before he could look at the picture further. "Granger, that was a cute baby, but why the hell do you have it in your wallet?"

Hermione looked at him like he was stupid, and it clicked. "You have a kid!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, Malfoy, I have a kid." "So you're married?" Draco felt disappointed for some reason. Of course if she had a kid then she had a- "No." Draco looked at her disbelievingly. "So you're a single mom!" She sighed. "Yes, Malfoy, I'm a single mother. Now piss off."

But Malfoy couldn't stop. He felt intrigued by this baby, like there was something special about her… "What's the baby's name, Granger?" "Hailey." "How old is she?" "2 months old." "Who's the father?" He knew he would dislike whoever it was. "Goddammit, Malfoy, stop asking questions, and drink already!" "Fine, if you answer that last question." "Malfoy, I do not want to open up to you, of all people." "Come on, who's the father?" "As I said, Malfoy, it isn't any of your fucking business." "Come on!" Hermione slammed her fist on the counter causing a couple of heads to turn and Draco to jump in surprise. "It isn't any of YOUR BUSINESS! Now SHUT UP!" Malfoy did. He would just have to find out by himself. Or maybe he could force it out of her…Whoever the father was must have been a real asshole. He finished his beer, paid, and left.

Well that had been an interesting celebration.

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Hermione lay in bed, thinking. It had been the second time Malfoy had come to the bar, and the second time he had pissed her off and puzzled her. Why the hell was he so interested in Hailey? As far as she knew, Malfoy had never had a soft spot for anything. And why the hell was he so interested in her life? It kind of pissed her off, especially when he asked about Hailey's father. It was none of his business, and it wasn't as if it were important.

Then why didn't she want to tell him?

Hermione sighed and tossed and turned, until finally, sleep overcame her.

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Hermione was working. There seemed to be an unusual number of people at the bar today. "Hey, ma'am!" Hermione turned. "You have a nice ass, I'd sure like to-" Hermione ignored the comment. "Five sickles, sir." The man licked his lips and Hermione repeated the price of his beer. The guy said nothing but "Only if I get a kiss." Hermione sighed. Because the people surrounding the bar were drinking beer and really, really drunk, they all echoed what the man said. "A kiss! A kiss! Kiss kiss kiss kiss!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sir, if you don't pay, I'm afraid I'm going to need to force it out of you." The guy chuckled. "Ah, tough chick, eh? I haven't had one of those in ages…" Hermione was getting impatient. "Sir-" "I swear, I want to slap your-" He was interrupted when he received a hard slap in the face.

Hermione glared at him, her temper rising. "Sir, if you do not hand over the five sickles right now, I swear I'll slap you harder, and judging by your wince, you are not very tolerant to pain." The guy looked at her in disbelief, handed over a galleon, and left, leaving all the people around the bar to stare at her in drunk awe. Hermione sighed tiredly and rubbed her temples, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar blonde head taking a seat. She groaned.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" When she looked at him, she was surprised to see him smirking. Had she done anything funny? Was there something on her face? "Granger, I must commend you. That was quite a show you put on, and you shocked the bugger so badly he almost shit himself." Hermione looked at him blankly for a while, and then remembered. "Malfoy, I've done that a million times. You want to drink beer, I suppose?" Malfoy smirked. "I didn't know you actually memorize my order, Granger! You're obsessed!" She cocked and eyebrow at him, and gave him his drink. "In your dreams, Malfoy." She left him to drink for a while, tending to the other _delightful_ customers.

He took this opportunity to think and observe her. She had definitely matured since their days at Hogwarts, her once bushy, out of control hair had actually tamed, and fell in graceful locks until just past her shoulders, and those curves…wait a second, was he actually thinking about Granger this way? He shook his head, trying to clear away the disturbing thoughts. He was not attracted to Granger. She wasn't pretty at all, she wasn't anything special…and then he remembered her baby. Hailey, was it? Malfoy honestly didn't know why he kept thinking about Hailey, but to him, she was the most adorable, beautiful, delightful baby he had ever seen, and he had only caught a glimpse of her in the picture. Hailey looked so happy and content in the picture, and he had observed the picture as hard as he could until Hermione had snatched it away from him. He was just, so drawn to Hailey. He wanted to see her, but he also wanted to help Hermione, who was looking rather unhappy since the day he met her here. A question came to mind. Why was she a barmaid instead of an Auror, or a Mediwitch, or the president of anything? Why was she stuck serving stupid, fat guys beer? Then he realized. The father of Hailey must have been an unsupportive bastard. He must have left Hermione with nothing, probably not even child support or money.

"Oy, Granger! Can I have another beer?" Hermione walked towards him, narrowing her eyes at him. She poured him another beer and sat down, sighing. "What's wrong?" Malfoy asked without thinking, causing her to give him a strange look. "Work's just tiring, that's all." She then busied herself with wiping glasses. "Umm….Granger?" She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Why are you a barmaid?" She looked at him for a while, and then sighed again, her voice quivering as she spoke, as if she was trying not to cry. "It isn't any of your business, Malfoy." "Come now, Granger! I swear, I won't laugh or tease you in any way." "It isn't that, dammit. It's just too private to share with _you_." "Come on, please?"

Hermione cocked her head at him. "Why are you so interested in my life, Malfoy?" "Because….I don't know…" She looked at him and then an assumption dawned over her, and she looked at him in horror. "What do you do and what are you planning to do to my daughter?" Malfoy looked at her, dumbstruck, and then burst out laughing. "Granger, I work for Zabini Inc., and I plan to do nothing to your daughter whatsoever. I'm just curious about her…about you, I guess." Hermione indignantly crossed her arms over her chest; she did not appreciate being laughed at. "Good. What did you want to know again?" "Why you're a barmaid instead of a bigshot." "Well, basically, I got fired from my job as an Auror for making a tiny mistake, and then my ex husband divorced me and didn't even leave me child support, and then I was jobless for a month or two, hardly being able to pay the bills, and then the only available job I found was a barmaid at The Three Broomsticks. Satisfied?" She left out the part where she was part of the housekeeping staff.

Draco looked at her, speechless, until he realized how stupid he must look. "Okay…what about Hailey?" "What about Hailey?" "Tell me about her." "Why?" "For Merlin's sake, Granger-" "Fine! She's two months old, she's really playful, and she's the only thing that keeps me going. Do you know enough about my life yet?" "No. Tell me more about her." "I don't know what else there is to say….hey, wait a minute, you had me talking about my life this whole time, when I don't have a clue about yours!" Hermione turned away mockingly. Draco smirked. "Fine. I work at Zabini Inc., am single, I'm not a Death Eater by the way, in case you suspected, and I like girls with huge-" "Shut up." He laughed, and Hermione turned around. She had never heard him laugh before, and she liked it. It was a deep, masculine sound, and she found out she was turned on.

She stopped that train of thought abruptly. "Uhhh…Malfoy, you want another beer?" "Sure." She gave him another beer, and looked around the bar. They were the only ones there, except for the manager, but his door was closed, and it made her uneasy. Was she just flirting with Malfoy? She shuddered. She looked at her watch and was surprised to find that it was 11:00 pm. She was supposed to close now. "Umm, Malfoy? I'm sorry, but you need to leave, it's closing time-" "Oh, look at the time! You're right! Okay, uhhhh….well I'll see you around, and here's a galleon, that's within two hours!" She smiled, and he smirked back, and her insides melted. What the hell was happening to her? He left, and she sighed, and sank down in her chair. What was that?

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Draco stepped out of The Three Broomsticks hurriedly. He had felt something with Granger tonight. It was just too weird. She was Granger! He wasn't supposed to be attracted to Granger! It was absurd! He Apparated to his apartment, and took a shower.

He needed to talk about these feelings with someone.

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Author's notes: Yeah, I hope you liked this chapter! I like pie….


	3. A Little Help From Blaise

Draco knocked on the president of Zabini Inc.'s door, and opened it when he heard a friendly "Come in!". When Blaise saw who it was, he was faintly surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be working, Draco?" Draco looked at Blaise sheepishly. "Well, erm…can I talk to you about something, Blaise? You're my best friend, and I need to talk to someone about something-" Blaise sighed. "Draco, you're my best friend too, but I don't have the time to talk about your personal problems, I'm a busy guy, Draco. Can we talk about this later after work?" Draco sighed. "Fine. Promise? After work, okay, Blaise?" Blaise nodded, and Draco left, shutting the door behind him.

Blaise sank in his chair, thinking. What the hell was wrong with Draco? He had never seen him so confused, and he hated to push Draco away, but he had to work first. Blaise tried to forget about Draco and started to examine important documents, somehow involving raccoons.

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Draco exited Blaise's office, disappointed. That hadn't gone well. Well, he just had to wait until work was over, then he could talk about his feelings with Blaise. After all, it wasn't normal to be attracted to a _Muggleborn_, not to mention your archenemy for years. He knew it seemed like he was making a big deal out of it, but he was just so…bewildered. And what was with that whole Hailey thing? He didn't even like babies!

Draco collapsed in his chair, and tried his best to work for the rest of the day.

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Hermione exited the Three Broomsticks, done working for the day. She Apparated to her apartment building. She entered her apartment, and was met by Ginny. "Hi Ginny," she said tiredly. "Hi, Hermione. Here's Hailey." "Oh. Right. Thanks Ginny. I'll see you around." "Yeah…I guess."

Ginny exited Hermione's apartment, confused. Hermione seemed more…drained than usual. Ginny shook her head. It was definitely stress from work. Who wouldn't be stressed when you had to pour drinks, clean glasses, and fight off the men around the clock? But Hermione had never been like _that_. Hermione was usually in control. What had gotten into her?

Ginny shrugged. If Ginny Weasly was good at anything, it would be in finding out the truth.

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Draco and Blaise sat in a luxurious restaurant, The Green Serpent, for dinner, and to discuss what Draco was so flustered about. Blaise ordered their dinner ad got right down to business. "Okay Draco, let's get to the point. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Draco seemed surprised at Blaise's straightforwardness, but quickly recovered. "Blaise…it's about…" a blush tainted Draco's cheeks, and Blaise's eyes widened. "This is about a girl, isn't it? You're finally in love, aren't you-" "I'm not in love, far from it! Let me finish! Okay. Blaise, I seem to be experiencing this funny feeling every time I interact with this girl! I swear, my stomach does little flips, and I feel really-" "Woah, woah, Draco! Calm down! Let me get this straight. You are really attracted to some girl. That's it?" Draco realized how stupid it sounded. "Well…yeah…but, the reason I'm acting all funny is because I'm not used to it at all, I don't know what to do!" "Wait, where did you meet this girl?" "The Three Broomsticks, and she has a kid, and-." "She does?" "Yeah. A two month year old baby." "Do you know what she does for a living?" "She's the barmaid." "Draco, you're attracted to a barmaid?" "Yeah…but it's not only that I am not familiar with these feelings, there's something else! She's not just anybody, Blaise! She's…she's…" Blaise leaned forward. "She's who?" Draco gulped, and when Blaise heard his voice, it was less than a whisper, it was barely audible.

"Hermione Granger."

"WHAT!"

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Hermione carried Hailey in her arms, and rocked her back and forth, feeding her and thinking about how she had treated Ginny. She had been rather rude, and now she was beginning to feel sorry. She didn't mean to be that rude with Ginny, it's just that there are certain things…certain people…occupying her thoughts at the moment. Hermione looked at Hailey lovingly, who looked like she was about to fall asleep. Hermione kissed Hailey's forehead and put Hailey in her crib.

Hermione climbed into bed, and lay there for hours, thinking. Why was she so attracted to Malfoy? Why did he have to be so damn sexy? Merlin, if only Ron knew. He would go ballistic, not that he cared at the moment. Ginny had called Hermione, and talked to her about making Ron enter REHAB, and Hermione agreed that it would be good for Ron. Ron really needed to get over Harry's death and his drinking problem. Back to Malfoy, why was he so hot? She always saw him as the spoilt, immature ferret boy who pissed her off during her whole stay at Hogwarts. But now…now, he was…gorgeous…

_Hermione, snap out of it. This is Malfoy you're thinking about. What would Harry say? _

Hermione groaned.

What _would_ Harry say? Would he understand? Hermione sobered. She still hadn't gotten over Harry's death. He had always been a dear, dear friend of hers, and he was always more understanding than Ron. But would he have accepted _this_?

Hermione shook her head. Why was she making such a big fuss out of this? So what if she was attracted to…Malfoy? It wasn't that big of a deal. People were attracted to people all the time. But why did she feel like just attraction to Malfoy was forbidden?

Hermione pondered this for a while. Why did she feel so restricted? Why did she feel like she was betraying everyone? It was just a little crush! Then she realized. Harry. She had to let Harry go. And if she let Harry go, maybe she would stop feeling like he was watching her all the time, allowing her to do nothing but hate Malfoy! Hermione smiled. Perfect solution! She would get started soon.

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"WHAT! Draco, are you out of your fucking mind? Hermione Granger? She's…she's the Hogwart's bookworm, the geek, the-" "Barmaid." "…barmaid, fine…muggleborn, mudblood-" "Blaise!" "What? I'm simply pointing out what she is! Why are you attracted to her anyway?" "You think I know? She's was an ugly, filthy, Mudblood when we were children, and now that we've grown up, she just **_has_ **to turn hot! I don't know!" "Draco, you have some major issues. Why don't we take a look at this "hot Mudblood" right now?" But she isn't working anymore! It's almost midnight." "Well, tomorrow, at lunch break, we'll pay her a little visit." "Why!" "I want to see these…so called changes myself."

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Hermione left her apartment for work once she had said goodbye to Hailey and to make sure she was safe with Ginny. She made her way to the Three Broomsticks as usual. She had to admit, she was getting tired of the routine. Same old routine of preparing for work, same old routine of pouring drinks, same old routine of fighting off perverted assholes. Hermione sighed as the morning crowd came in. And again, she did the same things over and over. When there was no one left at the bar, Hermione poured herself some beer. She deserved it didn't she? She looked at her watch and discovered it was already 12:30 in the afternoon, and that was when Malfoy came in.

Hermione's breath hitched, and she realized he had brought one of his friends along. Hermione looked closer at Malfoy's companion, and she realized this was Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin back in Hogwarts, not to mention a well respected businessman. She recalled Malfoy's words. "I work for Zabini Inc…" So that meant Zabini was his boss. Hermione suddenly turned pissed at Malfoy. He had just brought one of the most well respected businessmen in the Wizarding World, and he was going to embarrass her!

Malfoy, as she suspected, started leading the way towards the bar, and to spite him, she turned away and started to wipe glasses. She heard a voice behind her. "Erm…Granger? Can my friend and I have beers?" Hermione carried on wiping glasses. "Granger…Hello….Earth to-" Hermione turned around and poured the beers wordlessly. She slid the beers to Draco and Blaise, and attended to a man that just came in. While she was attending to the customer, and heard them talking. "Why are you attracted to her Draco?" Hermione's ears perked up at this. "She seems pretty stingy to me." Malfoy was attracted to her? She grinned, but she covered it up. She confronted Blaise heatedly. "Zabini, I am not stingy, only around Malfoy and his friends. But I guess, you being more successful than I, you have the right to comment, especially when it's about a Mudblood, don't you, Mr. Zabini?" Blaise looked at her blankly for a second. "Uhh…" "Five sickles, Mr. Zabini. You too, Malfoy." "We aren't done." "Oh, well in that case, I'll leave you too it." And with that, Hermione started wiping glasses.

She heard them talking again, this time quieter than before. "She has a sharp tongue, Draco. I think I like her. Feisty, that one." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Draco blush, just like her. Malfoy liked her back! She took the liberty of smiling. He liked her he liked her he like her- "Granger, another two beers." She did as she was told, and slid the beers to them, scowling. "Haven't you heard of the word "please", Malfoy? I guess not." She turned away, and heard Blaise excusing himself to go to the bathroom. She sensed Draco staring annoyingly at the back of her head, and she faced him.

"Why are you being a bitch, Granger?" "I'm not trying to be a bitch! I was just thinking you would like have privacy with your boss." "Oh, please, Granger. We both know that wouldn't stop you. You would have pissed us both off until we left." "True. Speaking of which, when are you leaving, Malfoy?" He didn't answer. "Granger, really. Why are you being difficult?" "I'm always difficult with you, Malfoy, bent on pissing the hell out of you. And besides, the only reason you brought Zabini, one of the most successful wizards in the world, here was to embarrass me, and make me feel inferior." "Is this what this is about! Your assumption is really, really, wrong. Can't I have a drink at the bar of The Three Broomsticks with an old friend anymore?" Now it was her turn not to answer. "And Granger, please do me a favor and be nicer to my boss. He might fire me." "Why the hell would he fire you? I'm the one treating you guys like shit!" "He just might-" "Nonsense, Malfoy. Utter nonsense." And with that, she turned away, and Blaise got back from the bathroom. He slid a galleon towards Hermione, and Draco got up as well. "Well, we must be off. Pleasure seeing you again, Granger." "Yeah. Right. Whatever."

And they left.

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"Well, Draco, she's a hard case to crack." Draco looked at Blaise, frustrated. "She's never like that. You know why she was like that? Because she thought I had brought you there to make her feel like shit! Why is everything I do wrong?" "Draco, not everything you do is wrong! Where did you get that idea? Anyway, I like her. She's very entertaining. She would be good company. Now I understand why you're attracted to her. She's decent looking now as well ." "She's more than decent looking! She's…never mind. Let's get back to work. And they vanished from the street with a pop.

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Hermione got into her apartment, and found Ginny there. She broke into a smile. "GINNY! Give Hailey to me…thanks… Okay, I have something really, really important to tell you! Sit!" Ginny did as she was told, surprised at Hermione's behavior. "Uh….okay. Ginny, well, first off all, I'd like to apologize for being a bit off lately." Ginny grinned. "Thanks, Hermione." "Okay, but the reason I've been off is because I've been thinking about this guy-" Ginny snapped to full attention. "You're attracted to a guy? Who? Where's he from? How hot is he-" "Umm…Ginny? When I tell you, do you promise not to scream?" Ginny looked bewildered, but she nodded. "Okay." Hermione took a deep breath. "Draco Malfoy." Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "What? Did you just say-" "Yeah…" "Why didn't you tell me this before? Hermione! We need to give you a makeover! First we have to start with your hair-" "You mean you aren't mad at me?" "God, no! Come on, we have to fix you. Get up, Hermione and call a housekeeper. We're going out." "But-" "No buts, Hermione Granger! Do it, NOW!" Hermione nodded and hurriedly got up and called her neighbor, Mrs.Bradburry to take care of Hailey.

And so started off to the nearest beauty salon.

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A/N: Ahh, another chapter finished. Anyway, I completed this chapter in advance because I won't be able to update from January 14-20. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and keep sending in those reviews!


	4. Hailey and The Three Broomsticks

A/N: **justamuggle**: I did look at the dialogue-y parts, and you're right! So for your benefit, and for the benefit of others, the dialogues here are separated! Thanks for telling me, keep reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oh yeah, I know I said I wouldn't be able to update until January 20, but I snuck on the computer and updated when my parents weren't here. So…yeah, hope you enjoy the story, and thanks to people who review!

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Hermione emerged from the beauty salon along with Ginny, feeling like she was in a daze. She had looked in the mirror of the salon, and….it was definitely not her. It really couldn't be. The girl in the mirror had looked...beautiful. She practically killed Ginny in a bear hug. She had stumbled out of the beauty salon, and started walking to the general direction of her apartment building, when Ginny caught her arm. "Whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Hermione looked at Ginny stupidly. "Home?"

"No. We have to pick out outfits to go with your new look!"

"No we don't."

"Uhh…yeah we do. Come on."

"No! I want to go home! We spent hours in there! I need sleep!"

But Ginny shook her head firmly. "We are going to find you kickass outfits, and there is nothing you can to about it."

"But that could take hours!"

"And that is exactly why we are going to start now! Come on!"

Hermione groaned as Ginny half walked half dragged her to the direction opposite of her nice, warm bed. "This better be worth it."

"Oh, it is."

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Hermione entered her apartment; Ginny had gone back home. Hermione met with Mrs.Bradburry, thanked her, put Hailey to bed, and collapsed on her couch, not bothering to change. The day had been rather too…eventful for our dear little Hermione.

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Hermione sat in front of her mirror, applying makeup to go with her new outfit, (which, by the way, insulted her modesty) before she went to work. Ginny said she would drop by The Three Broomsticks today, and if she wasn't wearing makeup like Ginny had ordered her to, Ginny would kill her. Really. There. Makeup was done. She called Mrs.Bradburry to baby-sit Hailey, but she wasn't in. She called the daycare center, and it appeared they had too much on their hands. Hermione let out a frustrated groan. Who the hell was supposed to baby-sit Hailey? She panicked. She should have asked Mrs.Bradburry to baby-sit Hailey beforehand! She should have made an appointment with the daycare center! She shouldn't have been so irresponsible! She was a terrible mother! How could she forget about Hailey? How could she-GINNY! Ginny could look after Hailey! Hermione laughed at herself. She had been in such panic she had forgotten all about Ginny! She got her telephone and punched in Ginny's number furiously. "Hello, Hermione?"

"GINNY! Can you baby-sit Hailey today, it's an emergency!"

"Hermione! I'm really sorry, but I can't! I need to work-"

"You mean I'll have to skip work today?"

"No! Why don't you bring her to work with you?"

"That is the stupidest idea you've come up with! Bringing a two month year old baby to a bar? That's crazy! I need to skip work! What choice do I have?"

You do have a choice, Hermione! Bring Hailey to work with you!"

"Ginny, I won't be able to attend to Hailey AND my impatient customers at the same time!"

"Oh come on, Hermione! Hailey isn't like that! She hardly cries! It would be a piece of cake! And besides, Hailey would find it entertaining! You don't know about any other day care center around do you?"

Hermione sighed resignedly. "No."

"You have to bring Hailey with you."

"There isn't another option, is there Ginny?"

"Afraid not."

Hermione felt like crying. "Are you sure-"

"Hermione, it won't be THAT bad. Just try it. Look, I'll see you in lunch break. I need to go. Bye."

"Wait Ginny-" The other line went dead. Hermione groaned. This was not happening…she couldn't possibly take her baby to work, most of all a bar! But what choice did she have? She couldn't leave Hailey alone! But she couldn't skip work either, Hermione Granger never skipped work! Hermione sighed and began to prepare Hailey.

_I'm going to regret this… _She thought.

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Hermione put Hailey in a chair behind the bar, where no other person could reach her, and sat down. This was a bad idea. Hermione had some wine; maybe it would calm her nerves. Wrong. Wine did nothing. The regular morning crowd came in, all familiar faces. Hermione gave Hailey her bottle of milk, and attended to her customers, who were currently, surprisingly, "aww"ing at Hailey. Great. Drunk men had at thing for babies. Just dandy.

"Regular beers for you guys?" They nodded and got back to going "awww".

"Excuse me Miss? Is that your baby?" Hermione looked at the speaker, a fat guy with a hat.

"Yes," She said somewhat proudly, "Yes she is."

"Oh, she's rather adorable."

"Uhh…thank you, sir."

"What's her name?" Hermione looked at the man suspiciously for a second, but replied.

"Hailey."

"How old is she?"

"Err…with all due respect, sir-"

The guy laughed. "It's quite alright. It's actually good to be suspicious. There are some bad people in this place." Hermione smiled at the man. The man seemed to take it as a cue to introduce himself.

"I'm Mo, by the way. Mo Lawns." Hermione barely controlled the urge to laugh. Mo Lawns, eh?

"Hermione," she said sticking out her hand, "Hermione Granger."

_Well, not all of them are bad, after all,_ she thought.

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It was lunch break, and Draco was about to set off to The Three Broomsticks, when Blaise joined in. "I'm coming with you."

"Okay…"

They Apparated to The Three Broomsticks and went inside. Draco didn't spot Hermione behind the bar. In he place was this- Oh God, was that Hermione! She was gorgeous! What the fuck- wait! Was that a baby! Draco rushed to the bar with Blaise trailing quickly behind. Blaise whispered.

"Hermione seems to have had a makeover recently. Ooohhh lookie, Draco! A baby! Is this the Hailey you've been rambling about that has special powers?"

"I did not say that!"

"Well, if you didn't say that, you implied it!"

At that moment, Hermione took notice of them. "Oh. Look who's here. Wait, I'll go get your beers." She rushed to get their beers, and when she slid them to them, she attended to the crying Hailey.

Draco looked at Hailey. She was adorable. He didn't understand. A month ago, he would have thought of Hailey as a fat and noisy ball of blubber, but now, he thought she was cute. He was turning soft, he was sure of it. Just then, a man signaled to Hermione, but she was attending to Hailey, who was drinking her milk. She looked from the man to Hailey and back again, and looked around helplessly. Draco cleared his throat, and Hermione turned around to face him.

"I can take care of her while you attend to that customer." She looked at him in shock, but recovered and her eyes narrowed. Blaise just arched an eyebrow at Draco.

"I would never trust Hailey with you, Malfoy."

"HEY! LADY! I'm going to complain about shitty service!" Hermione looked like she wanted to scream. "Fine. Here. Hailey, sweetie, this man won't hurt you okay? Be a good girl." But Hailey didn't need Hermione's advice, for she was already reaching out for Draco. "You better no try to pull anything-"

"I won't Granger, now go before that guy complains to the manager." Hermione nodded, and Draco and Blaise were left to look after Hailey, in Draco's arms. She was currently playing with Draco's tie, and began biting it while Blaise played with Hailey, doing the peek-a-boo. The customer seemed to take ages to attend to, and when Hermione was done with him, another man needed something else.

"Well, this wasn't what I expected to do during my lunch break."

"Me either. But she's awfully cute isn't she? I told you she was cute."

"Yeah." They sat in silence drinking their beers until Hermione was done and she made her way back to them, and took Hailey, Draco letting go of Hailey reluctantly. Once Hermione put Hailey back in her chair, she seemed to brighten up, and said "Ginny!". Both Blaise and Draco turned around, Blaise giving Ginny a second glance. Ginny greeted Hermione and sat down, and she finally realized who she as sitting next to. "Zabini? Malfoy? I didn't expect you to be here! Oh, I told you you'd be alright with Hailey, Hermione!"

Blaise was staring at Ginny, and when she noticed, she blushed, and they started flirting, leaving Hermione to talk with Draco. "So," he started. "Are you going to tell me who the father is yet?" Hermione scowled.

"No. Anyway, thanks for taking care of Hailey. She likes you, I can tell."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence.

"She's really cute you know. I haven't seen a baby who looks as happy as she does. You must take good care of her."

"I try my best. Ginny and Blaise are getting along, aren't they?"

Draco looked at the two of them, flirting like no one was around. He arched an eyebrow at Blaise, who was too busy laughing at Ginny's lame joke to notice. Draco looked back at Hermione, who was watching the flirters with a mixture of sadness, jealousy loneliness in her eyes. Draco suddenly felt sorry for Hermione. She must have felt really lonely when her husband left her. But the forbidden emotions in her eyes vanished when she realized Draco was staring at her. "Beer, Malfoy?"

"Yeah."

He drank his beer in silence as Hermione tended to Hailey, and when they were both done, they stood in front of each other; silence once again ensued, Hermione spacing out at irregular intervals. After minutes of this, Draco got the courage to ask something very, very unexpected.

"Err…Hermione?"

"Huh-what? Beer?"

Draco chuckled, and Hermione turned beet red.

"What?"

Draco cleared his throat, and realized Ginny and Blaise were watching him intently. "Well…er…doyouwantogooutonadatewithme?"

Ginny and Blaise grinned, and along with Draco, watched Hermione react. She looked shocked; too shocked to speak. Her expression then turned to confusion, and then to a smile. And Draco finally exhaled.

"Malfoy, are you actually-"

"Yes."

"Well….I'm flattered….uhhhhh….."

Blaise, Ginny, and Draco leaned forward, eagerly anticipating her answer.

"Okay then."

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A/N: Yeah…I hope you enjoyed this chapter! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! WEEEEE! I'm hyper. I like chicken, pie, muffins, cheese, and cookies. That's all I have to say, really.


	5. The First Date

Hermione got home that day with Hailey, cursing silently. What had she been thinking? A date with Malfoy! Sure he was hot, but she wasn't ready! She should have refused! She wasn't supposed to go on dates at the moment, and she said yes to Malfoy of all people! How could she have been so careless? Well, what's done is done. She couldn't cancel! That would just be mean, and Hermione was never mean. She sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. She made an appointment with Mrs. Bradburry to take care of Hailey the next day, from 7:00 to 12:00, since Ginny would be on a date with Blaise, surprise, surprise.

Hermione bathed and fed Hailey, and put her to bed, and she noticed Hailey looked a lot happier. Ginny was probably right. Hailey probably found today exciting and entertaining. After all, she had never seen her mother on the job. She had never seen her mother being asked out by her archenemy. It was healthy for Hailey. Hermione went to bed, knowing she could sleep for as long as she wanted; tomorrow was a Saturday, and her first date with Malfoy.

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Draco got back to his apartment, not sure what to feel. Should he be happy that he finally asked her out, or should he feel like he just betrayed his friends and family? Draco decided to choose the former. He would think about the latter later.

Satisfied, Draco went to bed, planning on where to take her.

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"Ginny! What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? I'm going to help you choose what to wear for your date with Malfoy."

"But you have a date with Blaise!"

"It's later than yours, and besides, it's still really early, and I'm only going to be here for a while."

"Okay…whatever. I still don't know why you're doing this…it's just a date."

"Just a date? JUST A DATE, HERMIONE? This is the first date you've had in ages! And your date, by the way, is HOT! IT ISN'T JUST A DATE!"

Hermione backed away a few inches. "God, Ginny. Fine. Let's get me ready."

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Draco's jaw dropped open. Hermione smirked. That was a good sign. Draco, on the other hand, struggled to form a coherent sentence. "Urhmm…uh….errrr….hot…."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow at him, and Draco smiled nervously. "Uhh….yeah….let's go inside the restaurant."

They entered The Green Serpent, the same restaurant he ate in with Blaise when Draco confessed his attraction to Hermione. Draco admired Hermione out of the corner of her eye, her black dress that showed off her curves, her-

"Sir, please take a seat." He looked at the waiter dumbly. "What?"

"Take a seat, Sir."

Draco looked at Hermione, who was staring at him funny, and he snapped out of it. "Oh, right. A chair. Thanks."

Hermione burst out laughing as he sat down. "What?" Draco asked.

"What the hell happened to you?" and she continued to laugh.

Draco stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to laugh even more.

And the date began.

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Draco watched Hermione as she laughed. Her laugh was a beautiful sound, and she looked breathtaking. Her black dress was gorgeous on her, and it showed quite a bit of cleavage, which, in spite of his best efforts, made him smirk. Her hair was done in a style that was hard to decipher, with curls framing her face. Her face... Hermione waving her hand in front of his face made him snap out of it. "Helloooo? Draco, this is the second time tonight you've spaced out. Is anything wrong?"

"No."

"Than why do you seem concentrated on something else? What are you thinking about?"

Draco hesitated. Did she really want to know? Did he really want to tell her the truth? "Uh….nothing. Sorry I've been a little off." Hermione shrugged. "Ooh! Food's here. Let's eat. I'm starving." Draco nodded. Anything to avoid talking. Their conversation from then on was awkward, and Draco really wished she hadn't brought the subject up. Oh well. Halfway through their meal, music started playing a slow number, and Draco smirked as he thought of a plan. He stood up, and Hermione looked up; startled. "Are we leaving?"

"No. Just dancing. Come on." Hermione blushed deep crimson.

"Malfoy, no! I suck at dancing, I-"

"Don't worry, I'll lead you! Come on. It will be fun."

Hermione sighed. "Fine. Let's give it a try." And she reluctantly took Draco's hand and stood up, and walked toward the dance floor. Draco pulled her to him, and he felt Hermione go stiff. He slow danced with her for a while, and she was still stiff. "Granger? Are you tense?" She looked up at him and scowled while a blush tinged her cheeks.

"No!"

"Why are you stiff then?"

"I told you, I suck at dancing."

"Than loosen up."

"I never loosen up."

"Didn't know you were a coward, Granger."

"I am not a coward!" She glared at him indignantly.

"Prove it."

She gave a frustrated groan. "Fine."

She let him twirl her around, and she laughed. _Much better…_ Draco thought. They danced and talked for a long while, and neither noticed the time go by. They only stopped talking and dancing when the musicians stopped playing. When Hermione realized what time it was, she looked at a nearby clock and gasped. "Shit! 12:30! I need to get back home! Mrs.Bradburry was only scheduled to baby-sit for Hailey until 12:00! Shit! I'm sorry, Malfoy! I need to go! I'm so sorry!"

Draco smiled. "It's alright, Granger. Come on. I'll pay the bill, and I'll Apparate home with you."

"You don't need to Apparate with me! I swear-"

"For safety reasons, Granger. I'll Apparate home with you. Wait a minute." Hermione sighed and said something that sounded like "Men.". Draco chuckled as he signaled for the waiter to bring him the bill. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently as he finished paying a minute later, and they exited The Green Serpent, and Apparated right in front of Hermione's apartment building. They stood in front of it for a few awkward moments, knowing that this time was usually the time people…kiss. But neither of them wanted to go for it. "Well….I had a lot of fun, Malfoy. I'll see you on Monday. Thanks for dinner and the dancing. It was awesome! Thanks for tonight. See you around…" and Hermione started making her way up the stairs.

"Granger?"

"Yeah?"

"You're welcome, and maybe we can do it again?"

She brightened up at this. "Really? Are you serious?"

Draco smiled. "Yeah. We'll talk about it on Monday. I'll come by The Three Broomsticks while I'm on lunch break."

She nodded. "Okay. Bye, Malfoy."

"Bye, Granger." And with that, he vanished with a pop.

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Hermione was at work the next Monday, waiting for Draco to come, when Mo Lawns came to talk to her. "Hey, Hermione."

"Hey, Mo."

He cleared his throat, and she waited patiently for him to continue. "Well…errr….I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me this weekend." Hermione's eyes widened. She expected something surprising, but she didn't expect _that_.

"Uhh….Mo? I'm very flattered you asked but…I already have a boyfriend." _Kind of. _She added in her head. It wasn't exactly a lie, was it? Mo's face fell.

"Oh. "

"I'm really sorry, Mo."

"No you aren't. I should have known you wouldn't accept. I'm not attractive at all." _You're not just unattractive, you're ugly, fat, old, and probably drunk a whole lot._ Hermione thought. She shook her head and walked away from Mo. He was really nice, but…he wasn't exactly her type. She sat down; there was nothing left to do but wait for Draco. She waited around 15 minutes more before the familiar blonde came in and sat down in front of her. She smiled and gave him a beer. It was a while before they said anything, not really knowing what to say. Finally, Draco cleared his throat and Hermione looked up at him.

"Uh…Hermione? I know I said something about going out with you again-"

"Yeah."

"Well, next Sunday do you think you can come with me to that huge park really near here? You know, the really, really nice one? We're going to have a picnic."

Hermione nodded and smiled. A picnic! She hadn't had one since she was a little girl. "Sure, what time?"

"Maybe around 2:00, I'll pick you up. But I hope it won't be just the two of us." Hermione frowned; confused.

"I want Hailey to come too."

Hermione grinned. Hailey would be ecstatic. She loved spending time outside, and the park was perfect. She nodded again, and Draco smiled. "Great. Anyway, now that that's settled, How's work?" Hermione laughed. 

"Work? Work is shit, Malfoy."

"How much do you get paid here anyway?"

"Uhh….I don't know, but it's enough."

"Just enough, or really enough?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Well, I can't spend too much on luxury."

"Hmmm."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Right…."

"Granger? Can I ask you something again?"

"I guess…"

"Why don't you want to tell me who the father is?"

Hermione groaned. She didn't want to go back to that subject. "Malfoy, I'll tell you when I'm ready. Just don't try to find out yourself. I'll tell you."

"Why do you need to be ready? Why can't you just tell me?"

"I….I really don't know."

Draco sighed. "Fine."

"Why do you want to know so much?"

"Because you won't tell me."

"Oh. Okay. Anyway, your lunch break is almost done. I suggest you make it over there soon. Oh yeah. Pay up."

He did as he was told, and kissed her cheek before he left, which made her blush furiously, especially since Mo was watching. She shook her head, forgetting the kiss momentarily. She actually didn't know why she didn't want to tell him who the father was. She really didn't know if she was ashamed, or just stubborn. He was right. She could just tell him, but noooo….she had to be ready, and she spent the rest of the day wondering why.

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"Honestly, Blaise, I don't get that girl."

"Well, you can't read all girls like a book, Draco. Like she said, she will tell you when she's ready. Just be patient. I'm patient with Ginny."

"I can't be patient since I've wanted to know since the day I saw Hailey's picture, which was, by the way, around a month ago! Holy crap Hailey's four months old!"

Blaise shrugged. "She'll tell you. Trust me."

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A/N: Yeah, thanks to all the reviewers so far:

goldenlioness1102

queenofthelameos

stephanie9999265

clarinetbandgeek

fudgesuks

Fruitygrrl

vagrantben

flip chick

justamuggle

XXDarkestAngelXX

Loca4Anime

scholcomp25

dagworth

mysticpam

classicmovielover

Your reviews really mean a lot to me, and, the next chapter will be more interesting, I promise!


	6. Ginny, Ron, and Dumbledore Park

A/N: WOW! You guys really did make it 40:) Thanks for all the lovely, lovely, reviews!

**SelfHatred** : NO! I AM NOT EVIL! Thanks for the review. :)

**ravenclaw witch: **yeah, I realized that, and in this chapter, you will definitely read more on the Weasleys, but it's going to be a bit sad, so I hope that's alright with you. Thanks for the review!

**Loca4Anime**: Wow. Thanks!

**goldenlioness1102 – **Lol, thanks:)

**FruityGrrl**- Thanks for the advice, I'll do that! Thanks for the review!

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Hermione covered her ears as Ginny squealed loudly. Ginny jumped around the room, laughing and clapping. "Ginny-"

"He asked you on another date! He did! And you accepted! I knew you were attracted to him! I knew it! I didn't think he would ask you out again, but he did! You and Hailey are going to the park with Malfoy! This is so cool! I-"

"Ginny, please stop talking. You're giving me a headache! I am attracted to Malfoy, fine, but that's it! Did you notice that Hailey seems to like him a lot? Anyway, how are things going with you and Blaise?"

Ginny sighed dreamily. "Blaise is amazing…"

Hermione smiled. "Good for you. How are things with Ron?"

Ginny's face darkened. "Ron's fine. They say he's very rebellious when they try to do anything. Hermione, sometimes I don't think I can handle it anymore…he has to get over Harry soon, or else…I don't know if I'll bother with him anymore. He just can't let go, and his state doesn't seem to be improving at all, and-" Ginny stopped talking, and burst into to tears. Hermione instantly pitied Ginny. Imagine having your brother in REHAB, and having to carry the entire burden, since the rest of the Weasleys were either dead from the war (Fred and George), too busy with work (Bill and Charlie), didn't give a shit (Percy), or too busy grieving over the loss of two of their children (Molly and Arthur Weasly). Basically, the Weasleys had fallen apart.

Hermione hugged Ginny comfortingly until Ginny calmed herself and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Hermione-"

"It's alright, Ginny. Anyway, will anything cheer you up at the moment?"

"Talking about Blaise."

Hermione grinned. "Let's talk about Blaise then."

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Hermione walked out of the REHAB building along with a hysterical Ginny leaning on her. Hermione shook her head sadly while supporting Ginny and walking back to her apartment. Ron was not doing so well. He had looked empty and horrid, and screamed when they tried to talk to him. Hermione, although she would not admit it, was scared out of her wits. She didn't think Ron would turn out like he had. She knew he would be depressed for ages after Harry's death, but…never like this.

Hermione looked at poor Ginny crying on her shoulder and wanted to cry herself, but she wanted to be strong for Ginny. "Ginny, is it okay if we sit down for a while? We can both calm down and talk about this."

Ginny didn't answer, but Hermione made her way to the nearest bench and sat down with Ginny. After a few minutes, Ginny finally spoke up. "Hermione…what am I going to do?" She sounded so helpless and alone, that Hermione hugged her, hating to see her friend so distressed and not even knowing what to do.

"Ginny, stop crying…come on…we'll come up with something. We will, and Ron will be back to normal."

"What if he never becomes normal again, Hermione? What if…what if he becomes insane?"

"Ginny, Ron will NOT become insane. He won't . Today, he was too depressed to know what he was doing. He's just depressed, but the people there can fix that. Sooner of later he'll give up rebelling, and he'll be treated and be the Ron you know in no time…"

"I wish….I wish Harry was here."

Hermione nodded. "I do too, Ginny. I do too."

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Hermione rushed about in her apartment that Sunday, making her and Hailey look presentable, because she was meeting Draco for the picnic in around 15 minutes. She changed Hailey's outfit twice before deciding to leave. She Apparated to the entrance of the park with Hailey, who clapped and laughed in delight. Hermione smiled at Hailey's reaction.

It really was a beautiful park. Everything was grassy and green…full of flowers and a lake full of rather interesting fish. She looked at the name of the park on the archway. "Dumbledore Park" and under it said "In memory of the most spectacular, successful wizard of all time". Hermione smiled even wider as she pushed Hailey in her stroller into the park.

It was a massive park, but she managed to find Draco soon enough, and she gasped. The picnic looked wonderful. A variety of mashed food was included, especially for Hailey's benefit, and an array of cakes and ice cream were also presented. She also spotted salads and sandwiches as she took Hailey out of her stroller and sat down with her in her lap.

"Wow, Malfoy. You really went all out, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Do you think Hailey likes it?"

Hermione didn't need to look at her daughter to answer him. "Definitely."

Draco smiled at this. "Well, I guess we should get on with the picnic then."

"Yeah, guess so." And the dreaded awkward silence began again.

They did nothing for a while, staring at anything but each other. "Well-"

Hermione was interrupted by a gurgling, squealing sound, and looked at Hailey as saliva dribbled from her mouth to her cute, little bib.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and burst out laughing, Hailey had managed to break the ice.

"We really should start to eat you know, the ice cream is melting," said Draco, and he took a bite of a ham sandwich, and Hermione a bite of Caesar salad, after feeding Hailey some orange mashed food, she really couldn't tell what it was, she suspected it was carrot, but Hailey seemed to like it, so Hermione fed her some more.

Meanwhile, Draco watched Hermione with Hailey, and he realized how nice it must be to have a child. Hermione always had a smile on her face when she was tending to Hailey, and it made Draco jealous. Why didn't she smile at him? He drove those thoughts out of his head. Jealous of a baby? Right…

He decided to try the chocolate cake, and found out it was delicious. "Granger, want some cake?"

Hermione shrugged. "Yeah, sure." Draco cut Hermione a slice and she tried it hesitantly for some reason. She chewed it slowly and closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

"That good, eh, Granger?" She opened her eyes and hit him playfully.

"Yep." He smiled at her and she smiled back, and if any of them looked at Hailey at that moment, they would have seen she was smiling too, and staring at them with a knowing look. Hermione scooped some chocolate ice cream into a bowl for Hailey, and fed her, still oblivious to Draco's wistful eyes. The picnic was fairly short, and after it was over, Draco and Hermione had no idea what to do next, so they just sat there for a while, until a restless Hailey seemed to reach out for the lake, and the two adults glanced at each other, shrugged, and walked towards the blue, glittering pool. Hermione looked into the lake, and immediately started to watch all the different fish, and animals that she didn't even recognize, but they were just as fascinating.

Draco, Hermione, and Hailey sat down on the edge of the lake together, and to passersby they looked like a happy family, and both were unconscious of it until a lady went over to them. "Aww, how old is your little girl?"

"4 months old," Hermione answered absently.

"You two must be proud to be her parents-"

"WHAT?" Draco and Hermione said in unison, wearing shocked faces.

"I'm sorry, Miss, we are far from being married."

The woman blushed deeply. "I'm sorry, I just thought-"

"Well you thought wrong," said Draco harshly, and the woman nodded and hurried away.

"You didn't have to be that harsh on the girl! It's an honest mistake, Malfoy, although it was rather shocking." _Not to mention embarrassing and highly unexpected,_ Hermione added silently.

When Draco didn't answer, she continued. "Why are you in a bad mood all of a sudden?"

"Because I would never want to be mistaken as **_your_** husband or the father of **_that_** child!"

Hermione looked infuriated as well as confused. "I thought you were over that school, Mudblood crap! Why are you like this? And you have absolutely no right to insult Hailey! You-"

"-don't give a shit! You know what, if you insist on having this conversation, I think I'll have to ask you to go-"

Hailey started to cry, and Hermione looked at him with an injured look.

"What the hell is with you, Malfoy? You are so strange! And to think I thought you were sensible!" Before he could get another word in, she Apparated right in front of him with a wailing baby in her arms.

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Draco sunk down on the grass, realizing what he just did, which was start a fight for no reason. He didn't exactly know what he did it for, but it was like the lady had reminded him unconsciously who Hermione was, and that he shouldn't have anything to do with her. It was that whole "school, Mudblood crap", and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

He headed back to their picnic area, and cleaned everything up with a flick of his wand. He shrunk the picnic basket to fit his pocket, and trudged out of the park, looking back at the beautiful park as he did so, and it was then that he realized Hermione had left something rather important, and he smirked as he thought up a way of apologizing and returning the rather useful item.

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Hermione climbed the stairs leading to her apartment, stomping on the steps, creating quite a racket. She flung her door open, and would have screamed if she did not have a baby to calm down. She changed Hailey's diaper, which held quite a surprise, and she sang Hailey a lullaby before putting her in her crib.

She then called Ginny, for Ginny always wanted to know the details of her dates with Malfoy, no matter how depressed she was.

It was then that she realized something that made her smack her head. She had left Hailey's stroller.

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_**A/N:**_

YEaH, hoped you liked the chapter! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	7. Draco's Forgiven and Blaise Is Set Up

classicmovielover: lol, sorry! Thanks for the reviews!

clarinetbandgeek: yep, I know. A lot more Ginny and Blaise is in this chapter!

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"Ginny, I really don't get why he got moody all of a sudden! I didn't do anything wrong, and he starts going on about not wanting to be my husband or Hailey's father-"

"Calm down, Hermione. Let me think about this-"

"-and know the bastard probably has Hailey's stroller!"

Ginny almost burst out laughing, but she knew Hermione would get offended.

"It's okay; you can buy a new stroller, can't you?"

"Yeah, but it isn't going to be the same!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's just a stroller! Is it that important!"

"Yes! It's a Granger heirloom! It was my grandmother's stroller, next it was my mother's stroller, then it was my stroller, now it's Hailey's stroller, and it's going to be her baby's stroller-"

Ginny sat there; bewildered. What type of family had a stroller as an heirloom? That was just plain weird. Ginny looked at her watch and practically jumped out of her chair. "SHIT!" Hermione looked at her, shocked, because she had still been going on about the stroller, and Ginny's interruption was rather surprising.

"Uhh…I need to go Hermione! Shit! I forgot I had a date with Blaise today! It starts in four hours!"

"Ginny, four hours is a long time!"

"No it isn't! I need to take a bath which takes 1 hour, put makeup, style my hair, pick out an outfit-"

"Alright, alright! You can go! Tell me how the date goes!" Ginny nodded hastily and Apparated without even saying goodbye. Hermione laughed. Ginny was really weird sometimes. She shrugged and began to think about Draco's strange behavior.

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Draco sat in his apartment, scrutinizing the antique-looking stroller. It was really old- fashioned, and he was wondering why the hell Hermione would use this ugly piece of crap. It wasn't like her at all. The stroller wasn't decent looking. He looked at himself in the mirror and headed out the door, the Granger heirloom in his hand.

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Ginny arrived at the restaurant, overcome with awe. It was so…elegant! It took her breath away. She was met by a waiter, and he led her to the table where Blaise was…kissing another girl. Ginny gasped, and both pulled away from one another. _Pansy Parkinson._

"BLAISE ZABINI! HOW DARE YOU!" Ginny screamed out. "I trusted you, you arrogant bastard! How…you-"

Blaise cursed inwardly as Ginny ranted on and on, and he glared at Pansy. The bitch kissed him and got him into fucking trouble with Ginny! "Listen, Ginny, I was pushing her away-"

"YOU WERE NOT PUSHING HER AWAY! YOU WERE PRESSING THE WENCH AGAINT YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD JUST SAY YOU LIKED ME, AND THEN STAGE AN ACT LIKE THIS TO BREAK ME! I HATE YOU!"

Ginny ran out of the restaurant, resolving not to shed a tear over the bastard.

Pansy smirked at Blaise. Her revenge had worked. She had always liked him, and when he turned her down, she had resolved to have her revenge for breaking her heart. Blaise glared angrily at her before running to catch up with Ginny. "Ginny! Wait! Please, Ginny! I was set up-"

He was interrupted by a slap in the face. He hardly paid attention to the pain that shot up his right cheek, though. He was too busy running after Ginny.

"Ginny, please-"

"I HATE YOU! You really are just like every other guy I've dated! Selfish, arrogant assholes! Fuck you, Zabini!"

"I-" POP…Ginny had Apparated. Blaise cursed. "SHIT!"

He groaned and turned around to walk back to the restaurant, when he saw Pansy. He turned livid. "YOU! YOU…YOU BITCH! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"

She simply smirked at him. "Revenge, Zabini. Revenge."

"FUCK YOUR REVENGE! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I KILL YOU!" And this time, her eyes actually registered fear, before turning emotionless once again.

"Right. Whatever, Zabini. See you around." And Pansy, too, vanished with a POP. Blaise screamed in frustration and kicked a garbage can over. Pansy was such a bitch, Ginny didn't believe him at all, and he had just stepped in dog shit! Blaise cursed again and Apparated home.

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Draco had Apparated to Hermione's apartment building, and he climbed up the stairs slowly, thinking of what to say. He reached her door, and rang the doorbell. Hermione opened almost immediately, but when she saw who it was, rushed to close it. But Malfoy had extremely fast reflexes due to Quidditch, and he was able to hold the door open. Hermione scowled at him. "Piss off, Malfoy. Please let me be."

"No can do. Let me in."

"No."

"Let me in."

"No."

"Let me in."

"No."

"Let me-"

"GODDAMMIT SHUT UP, WILL YOU?"

"Let me-"

"FINE!" Hermione jerked the door open, looking so pissed off it amused him.

"I knew you would see it my way, Granger, especially since I have a certain…item of yours." Draco showed her the stroller as he stepped inside. Hermione's eyes widened and she quickly snatched it back.

"Oh yippee. You can leave now."

"No I think I'll hang around for a while."

"Just say whatever you need to say, Malfoy, and leave." Draco almost winced at how cold she sounded.

"Okay, I'm sorry I acted like a bastard-"

"Yes you did."

"And I really didn't mean to-"

"Yeah. Right. Sure."

"I really didn't! I'm really sorry, and I hope we can go out again soon."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow at him. "There's one more thing I need to know, Malfoy."

"What?"

"Why did you act like that? And why did you say those things? They really hurt, Malfoy."

Draco sighed. "I know, I'm really sorry about that. But, I don't think I can explain why I acted the way I did. I really can't."

Hermione thought about this for a while and nodded. "Fine then. What you did was really inconsiderate and low, but I'll forgive you."

Draco smiled. "Really?"

"Really."

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Hermione opened the door, and gasped when she saw a crying Ginny.

"Ginny! What happened? Did something happen to Ron? Is he worse?"

Ginny shook her head. "No!"

"Ginny, come inside!" Hermione led Ginny to the couch.

"Ginny, what's wrong?"

"Blaise…Pansy…kiss…set up…bastard!" Hermione paused and put two and two together.

"He didn't!"

"He did! He was kissing Pansy Parkinson!"

"Oh my god, Ginny! It's alright! Don't cry! Blaise is an ass!"

"No he's not! He's sweet-"

"Ginny, stop it. You're too attached to Blaise right now. Stop crying, Ginny! Pull yourself together! It's just a guy! You'll find another one!"

"No I won't! Blaise was perfect!"

"Oh, Ginny. Stop crying, things will work out! It might not have been his fault! Did that even occur to you?"

"No."

"Maybe he was the one set up, Ginny!"

"I doubt it. I never want to see him again."

"Don't be so harsh."

"I have every right to be! He stepped all over me! He made me feel like a fool! He tricked me into believing he liked me, and then he broke me-"

"Ginny, calm down."

"He's just like Malfoy!"

Hermione bit her lip. "Uhhh…Ginny? He apologized to me today…and I forgave him."

"YOU WHAT? HOW STUPID ARE YOU?"

"Ginny, please!"

Ginny sighed, and stopped talking, looking drained. She cried silently, and Hermione did her best to comfort her. She was going to have a talk with Draco about his friend Blaise later.

Draco put down the phone, looking grim. Hermione had just called him, about Blaise. He thought about it, and defended Blaise. Pansy probably did set him up. He knew Blaise, and he would never do that to Ginny, considering how he had been talking about her 24/7. He was about to Apparate to Blaise's house before Blaise appeared right in front of him, looking frustrated.

"Blaise! I was just about to Apparate-"

"You know what's happened, don't you?"

"Yeah."

Blaise slumped down on a chair. "What am I going to do, Draco?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"You're a great help, Draco."

"Thanks, boss."

"She didn't believe a word I said!"

"You shouldn't expect her to since she saw you being intimate with someone else."

"It isn't my fault!"

"I didn't say that. You should try appearing at her doorstep and apologizing."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"It worked for me."

"You mean-"

"Hermione forgave me. Yeah. You let Ginny cool down for a bit, then maybe you can "accidentally" bump into her somewhere."

"Maybe. It's just that I'm so pissed off that she didn't believe me. I'm in a real shit heap now."

"Yeah you are. Anything I can do to cheer you up?"

"No. Nothing right now."

A/N: Hope YOU liked the chapter!REVIEW! THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS!


	8. Blaise, and Bumping Into Viktor

Blaise entered The Three Broomsticks during lunch break. Ginny was always hanging out here with Hermione wasn't she? Blaise couldn't take it much longer. He _had _waited, just like Draco had said, but he had to get back with Ginny **NOW**.

He looked around, but he didn't spot Ginny. He sighed and sat at the bar, catching Hermione's attention. "Zabini. I really hope you didn't mean to depress Ginny."

"I didn't! It wasn't my fault! Pansy-"

"Shut it, Zabini. Why are you here?"

"I'm waiting for Ginny. Will she be here anytime soon?"

"I don't think so. She's probably in her apartment watching TV and eating pints of ice cream. You did a great job at breaking her heart, Zabini. I would appreciate it if you would do something."

"I'M TRYING TO! I want to apologize today! I'm going to her apartment."

"**_No_**."

"Why not?"

"You don't want to see her."

"Is everything that bad?"

"Oh, it's bad."

"I need to-"

"You know what, Zabini? Do whatever you want. Just don't blame me for any physical pain you experience later. Don't say I didn't warn you, either."

"Okay."

"Go."

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"Say you love me every waking moment, turn my head with talk of summertime-" the TV blared loudly, and Blaise shook his head. He rang the doorbell. No one answered it, and he was about to ring the doorbell again when Ginny opened it.

She was wearing her pajamas, her eyes were red and poofy, and her face was blotchy. Her hair looked like it met a natural disaster. She looked like a mess. Her face registered shock, but it was soon replaced with rage. "YOU! I TOLD YOU I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" She slammed the door in his face. Blaise winced. He should have expected that. He rang the doorbell again.

"GO AWAY!"

"Ginny, I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving until you let me in!"

"GO AWAY!"

"Please Ginny, be reasonable-"

The door opened again, revealing a livid, livid, Ginny Weasly. "REASONABLE? YOU WANT ME TO BE FUCKING REASONABLE? I'M SORRY, BUT I DON'T THINK I CAN BE REASONABLE WHEN I SAW YOU KISSING-"

"I TOLD YOU I WAS SET UP! I WAS SET UP GODDAMMIT! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Blaise stopped shouting when she said these words, and she collapsed on the floor, her head in her hands. "Ginny?"

"Mmmph. Go away, Zabini."

"Ginny, I'm sorry."

"I need time, Zabini."

Blaise sighed. "Fine. But whenever you want to get back together-"

"Yeah yeah. Goodbye Zabini. Leave me alone."

He really didn't want to, and he had hoped she would forgive him, but she "needed time". He shook his head and walked away with another glance at Ginny, who was now picking herself of the floor to go back to watching "The Phantom of the Opera".

He Apparated to Zabini Inc. and sat in his big, comfy manager's office chair, and he thought of what to do next.

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Hermione entered Ginny's apartment, expecting a rather pathetic Ginny eating pints of chocolate ice cream and watching Titanic or The Phantom of the Opera, but instead, she saw a happy, alive, better looking Ginny. "Well, you look better."

"I am better! Blaise apologized today!"

"And you forgave him!"

"No!"

"What?"

"I didn't forgive him!"

"Why not!"

"Well, I forgave him, but I didn't show it."

"Okay, now I'm really confused. What do you mean?"

"I forgive him, but I didn't tell him so. It's my turn to be evil! He's going to apologize to me again some time soon, and then I'll say I forgive him!"

"So you're teasing him?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay…"

"Yeah. You want to have some ice cream? I bought like, 10 pints, and I have one left!"

Hermione smiled. "Sure."

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"I DON'T GET HER!"

"Blaise, calm down."

"I CAN'T! I DON'T GET HER! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO FORGIVE ME!"

"Blaise-"

"SHUT UP!"

"But-"

"I NEED TO LET THIS OUT!"

"Fine!"

"Draco, I need your advice! When should I go back and apologize?"

"Apologize again? You're just showing weakness."

"I DON'T CARE! Ginny's the only one who's made me feel this way-"

"Oh god, you're not going soft, are you?"

"-she's special, and I like her-"

"Whatever, Blaise."

"Come on!"

"You're smitten."

"I am not! I hardly know her!"

"You're infatuated."

"No-"

"It's really obvious, Blaise. And Ginny is smitten with you."

"She is?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're smitten as well as ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS. I need to be somewhere right now, so I'll see you later ok? Just apologize to Ginny again when you think it's the right time, since you're going to completely ignore my advice."

"Okay, fine. Bye."

"Bye."

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Hermione, Ginny, and Hailey exited the French Muggle restaurant they had just eaten at, and they were window shopping and having fun. Since both Hermione and Ginny forgave their…boyfriends, they were a lot happier, and Hailey looked relieved. They went into a store that sold baby clothes, and Hermione picked out a beautiful pink and white outfit decorated with a rainbow pattern. Hailey smiled happily when Hermione bought it.

In other words, they were having an immense amount of fun. But all good things must come to an end, and their fun, happy night came to an abrupt halt when they bumped into an unwelcome face.

"Viktor!"

"Hermione! How are you doing? Ginny! Hailey! Her name is Hailey, isn't it?"

Hermione gritted her teeth. "Yes, Viktor. It is."

"What are you doing in Muggle London?"

"Just having fun."

"Well it was nice to see you," said Ginny.

"Yes, it was."

"Yeah…bye then." Ginny and Hermione with Hailey in tow, walked as fast as they could past Viktor. "Wait! Hermione!"

Hermione groaned. _Be civil, Hermione. Be civil._ She plastered her best smile on and turned around.

"Maybe we could hang out sometime?"

"Uhh…no thanks."

"Why-"

"Goodbye. It was nice seeing you, Viktor."

Hermione turned back around and left him standing there, confused.

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The girls arrived at Hermione's apartment, Hermione's perfectly good mood spoiled. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I SAW HIM AGAIN!"

Ginny shook her head. "Cheer up Hermione. That's probably the last time you'll see him again."

"You're probably right, but it still doesn't change the fact that he's a bastard, and I hate it when I bump into him!"

"Yeah. Try to forget Viktor, Hermione. He's nothing. Anyway, did you have a good time, Hailey?"

Hailey smiled happily and clapped her hands, which caused Hermione to smile despite her current situation. "Oh well," said Ginny. "I guess I should be heading back to my place now. It's late."

"Alright. Bye Ginny. See you around."

"Yeah. Bye Hermione. Bye Hailey! Oh, forget about Viktor, okay?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodnight."

Hermione sank in a nearby chair as Ginny Apparated. She shook her head. Bumping into Viktor was a real pain. And he had said something about seeing her sometime! No fucking way. Not after the way he treated her. Hermione yawned and rocked Hailey to sleep, before tumbling into bed herself.

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Draco sat in his apartment, thinking about the advice he had given Blaise. He regretted it. Apologizing a second time wouldn't be a weakness. It would show that he really cared, and he was really sorry. Hell, he would have apologized to Hermione a second time, for what he said at Dumbledore Park that day was really rude and horrible. But his advice didn't really matter anymore, since he knew Blaise would apologize anyway.

Draco smiled as he thought of where he could bring Hermione for their next date, and this time it would be really romantic, to show he was sincerely sorry.

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A/N: okay, I promise there will be more Hailey in the next chapter! Just wait and see… hope you liked the chapter! Review please, and also review my new one shot, "The First". Thanks! Oh, there's going to be more drama in the next chapter, so…yeah!

Thank you to all people who have reviewed this! More Draco, Hermione, and Hailey in next chapter.


	9. The Suspicious Date and Ron

Natural-181: It does say the Viktor is the father of Hailey in the first chapter, I think it's in the first paragraph. :) You'll be seeing Viktor in this chapter, by the way! Thanks for the review!

Field of Paper flowers: Well, yeah, I agree that Hermione is brilliant and could have gotten a better job, but imagine if she had a really good job like, an Auror, (which requires a lot of work) she wouldn't have time to take care of Hailey, and that would be neglecting Hailey. A baby is more important than a job, right? So…yeah! Thanks for the review!

ANNiEEx3: Thanks!

Loca4Anime: Wow, thanks for the review! It's fun when people are hyper! You can be hyper all you want! You aren't annoying, and congratulations on drinking a whole bottle of Coke in 5 minutes:)

goldenlioness1102: Okay, I'll see where I can fit in the part where Draco kicks Viktor's ass! Thanks for the review!

DMHGlover: Thanks!

justamuggle: Thanks:)

classicmovielover: Thanks! Happy Valentine's Day!

SelfHatred: Thanks!

Utsukushii-Dreamer: Thanks!

Elizabeth lovergood: Thanks!

flip chick: Thanks!

mysticpam: Thanks!

clarinetbandgeek07: Thanks!

Oh yeah, I know I've been focusing too much on Blaise and Ginny, so don't worry, this chapter will have a lot of Draco Hermione!

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Draco entered The Three Broomsticks and sat down. Hermione noticed he looked frustrated. "What's wrong?"

"Hermione! Please tell your friend Ginny she needs to forgive Blaise the next time he apologizes, because he's been slacking off at work and moping around since Ginny got mad at him! He's going to apologize again today, so please tell Ginny to make up with him, or else Blaise will act like a man wallowing in self-pity forever."

Hermione fought back the urge to laugh. Ginny was torturing Blaise so badly and she didn't know it. She thought about telling Draco, but decided against it. "Alright then. I'll talk to her, but it won't be my fault if she really doesn't want to forgive him."

"Deal. Anyway, do you want to go on a date again next weekend?"

"Sure, with Hailey or just us?"

"Just us."

"Where?"

"It's a secret. You'll find out next weekend. It's a really remarkable, special place."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah."

"It sounds suspicious, Malfoy."

"Don't worry. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay..."

"How's Hailey?"

"She's fine."

"I'll see you later, okay? I need to cheer up Blaise."

Hermione shook her head. "Alright then. Bye."

"Bye."

Hermione smiled. She had to share this piece of news with Ginny.

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"Blaise, Hermione said she would talk to her. There's still hope."

"There is?"

"Yeah. When are you going to apologize to her?"

"This evening."

"How?"

"I'm not telling you how."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"Okay, whatever. I suggest you do some work, it's been piling up."

"I can't focus."

"Blaise, stop being an idiot." Before Blaise could retaliate, Draco exited the room.

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Hermione got back into her apartment, thinking of where Draco would take her. She was really bewildered, but she knew it would be romantic. She sighed. It was no use wasting time thinking about it. She made Hailey dinner, bathed her, put her to sleep, took a shower, and went to bed as well, Draco still on her mind.

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Draco paced around the room that night. He hadn't meant to overdo it like that! He shouldn't have said much, but he just had to imply that this date was going to be special and romantic, and that the venue was going to be romantic as well, but he didn't even know the venue, and he hadn't planned anything. He cursed himself for being so stupid. Now she expected something big. Oh well. He had time to think about it, but he would have to come up with a place fast.

Draco sighed as he climbed into bed. This was going to be tough.

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Hermione Apparated to Ginny's apartment the next day after work to tell her about Draco's secret plans for their next date. Ginny's apartment was actually massive, although she didn't need all the space. Hermione sighed and looked around for Ginny. She went everywhere calling her name, until she came to the bedroom. She sighed. Was Ginny again eating chocolate ice cream all day? What was wrong? Did she get into another fight with Blaise? Hermione shook her head and opened the door, expecting to talk some sense into Ginny, but she was completely unprepared for what she saw.

Ginny and Blaise were half naked on the bed and kissing in a frenzy. They covered themselves as Hermione opened the door. "HOLY SHIT!" said Hermione, and she closed the door again. Ginny and Blaise looked at each other and blushed. "Well, I guess we're going to have to dress up and give Hermione a long, detailed explanation." Blaise nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."

They emerged moments later, and found a very embarrassed-looking Hermione sitting on the couch. "Oh god, Ginny, Zabini, I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"

Ginny laughed. "It's alright, Hermione.Well, I guess I don't have to tell you we forgave each other."

"No, you don't. Ummm….I think I'll leave now, I'lltalktoyoulaterGinnybye."

Hermione Apparated before Ginny could say a word.

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Hermione arrived at her apartment, not believing she had actually seen them…doing things. She shuddered. Well, at least she could tell Draco they were back together, and stop him from feeling further frustration.

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"Well, Malfoy, your boss is back to normal now."

"Ginny forgave him? Thank Merlin."

"That's not all she did."

"What?"

"I caught them...doing things..."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Really…"

"Rather disturbing, actually."

Draco laughed, and Hermione loved the thrill that went up her spine as he did.

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Hailey was a smart baby, and she saw a change in her mother since she met Draco. Hermione was happier, there was always a bright smile on her face now, and she treated her baby better, like she really loved her, unlike before, when Hermione didn't seem to ever have enough time for her.

Hailey was exceptionally happy now. She also noticed that there was something going on between Draco and Hermione, a sort of connection, although Hailey didn't know quite what it was, but she knew it was different from all the other relationships Hermione had.

Hailey smiled and shook her rattle as Ginny fed her some mashed potato.

Hermione and Draco had chemistry; that was for sure.

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Draco was working, when in dropped Pansy. "What the hell do you want, Parkinson?"

"Oh, just checking on how my revenge worked with Blaise."

"Well, you'll be saddened to find out everything didn't work out the way you planned, and that Ginny and Blaise are still dating each other unhesitatingly."

Pansy's face blanked. "Crap."

"Whatever, Parkinson. You can leave now."

"No."

"And why not?"

"I want to clear something up with you. There have been very, very unnerving rumors about you."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Rumor has it that, well…you won't like what I'm about to say."

"Spit it out, Parkinson."

"Well, people are saying you're dating the _Mudblood_. Can you believe the nerve of-"

"I am dating the _Mudblood_."

Pansy paled. "W-what? You're joking right?"

"No, I'm not. I'm dating Hermione Granger. She isn't as nosy and book wormy as she used to be, and she's just so hot-"

Pansy covered her ears. "SHUT UP!" Draco smirked, and Pansy quickly recovered from shock. "So why are you dating her? Revenge, isn't it? For slapping you-"

"No."

"Oh I get it! You want to make her fall in love with you and then break her heart for the fun of it, right?"

"No."

"Then…what?"

"I like her."

"YOU WHAT?"

"She's changed, Pansy."

"Right…."

"She-"

"What the hell are you doing this, Draco? You're betraying everyone you know by going with this girl!"

"No I'm not."

"Oh yes you are. Think about it. You're family will hate you. You're friends will hate you. Everyone-"

"Blaise doesn't hate me."

Pansy laughed. "Like being hated by one less person makes a difference! Basically, Draco, you're betraying everyone you know. No one will ever want to see your face again! We'll all see you as a traitor!"

Before Draco could get a word in, Pansy Apparated.

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Hermione was getting more and more excited as the days passed, she wanted to go on her next date with Draco. She was tired of thinking about it, so she tried getting in all off her mind by going with Ginny to see how Ron was doing. They entered the building, and went to the ward Ron was in, which was, by the way, full of people depressed as him. They sat across from Ron at a table. Hermione winced at how much he had changed. The once humorous, lively spirit was gone, getting replaced by a hopeless, unproductive mass of depression. The old Ron was gone, and it seemed like this new Ron would be permanent. Hermione wanted cried when she saw him. His eyes were emotionless pools, he was pale…he had destroyed himself.

"Ron."

"Hermione."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

Ginny started to cry. Hermione continued. "Ron…please stop this."

"Stop what?"

"Stop being depressed…stop destroying your family and your future!"

"There is no future for me without Harry."

"Ron...Harry is…he's…GONE. You have to accept that."

Ron looked at her angrily. "I CAN'T ACCEPT IT, SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

Hermione flinched. "Ron-"

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Hermione sighed. "I will not leave you alone until you fix yourself."

"I AM FIXED-"

"No you aren't. Do you know how different you are now? You're condition has affected everyone you know! Do you know how much you've destroyed your friends and family? Do you know how you've destroyed Ginny? She loves you so much, Ron! She loves you so much she can't stand to see you like this! She's ruined, and it's all your fault! But you don't care, do you Ron? You only have time to grieve for your shitty, selfish reasons! You're an inconsiderate asshole, okay? You are, and I think…I think I hate you!"

Hermione started to cry. "I HATE YOU." She said. Ron looked shocked at her outburst. Hermione sobbed and dragged Ginny with her out of the building. "Gi-Ginny? Let's get you ho-home. Ron will…Ron will come round soon."

"No…no he won't."

Even though Hermione denied it out loud, she agreed with Ginny in her head, and it made her sob more.

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Draco banged his head against his desk over and over again. He did not know where to take Hermione, and Pansy's words were making him doubt his relationship with Hermione, even though he tried to block those thoughts out. He was still banging his head against the desk when Theodore Nott, a fellow colleague came in. "Uhh…"

Draco looked up for the desk. "Uhhh…if you don't mind me asking, why were you banging you're head against the table?"

Draco scrutinized Nott, wondering if he could ask for help on his dilemma. He decided he could, Nott was a rather respectable person, wasn't he? "Just girl problems…"

Nott raised his eyebrows, surprise etched on his face. "You? Having girl problems?" Draco frowned. "What?"

"You just don't strike me as the type to have girl problems. You seemed to get along with the ladies back at Hogwarts." Draco smirked.

"Yeah, but now I'm focused on just one girl."

"Who's the lucky lady?"

"Granger."

"Granger! Hermione Granger? No way…"

"It's true. Tell me Nott, do you have a wife?"

"Yeah. Hannah Abbot."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Anyway, where do you take her when she's mad at you, and you want to make up for your mistake?" Nott looked thoughtful for a while.

"Hmmmm…..let's see…Oh, right! I take her to this place near Hogwarts-"

Something in Draco's brain clicked, and he stood up abruptly. "That's it!"

"What?"

"I know where to take Hermione!"

"Good, glad I could help!"

"Yeah, thanks! See you around, Nott."

Nott nodded, and left. Draco smiled. That was it!

He would take her to Hogwarts!

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A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Their date is in the next chapter, and Hailey will be five months old:)


	10. The Appearance of Krum and The Date

A/N: Just something you should know: DUMBLEDORE IS NOT DEAD!

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Draco smiled as we walked around the familiar school. Everything was almost exactly the same, including the teachers. He walked around the Great Hall, the dungeons, the classrooms, everywhere, remembering the good times he had, all the memories…

He bumped smack into McGonagall and Snape. Once they all recovered from shock, McGonagall, Snape, and Draco smiled. "Mr. Malfoy! What's brings you to Hogwarts?" the two Professors said simultaneously.

Draco smiled. "Well, I just need to ask a favor from Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall and Snape nodded at each other. "Alright, Mr.Malfoy! Right this way, come on."

They made their way to the entrance of Dumbledore's office. "Oh well, here we are. It was nice to see you, Mr.Malfoy, do come again!" Draco nodded and the two Professors left him, talking about the pleasant surprise.

Draco entered Dumbledore's office, and sat down in a nearby chair. Dumbledore emerged out of nowhere, and sat down as well. "Mr.Malfoy! What brings you to Hogwarts?" Draco smiled again for the fourth time in the span of five minutes; it was the exact same thing McGonagall and Snape had said.

"Well, Professor, I would just like your permission to bring Hermione Granger for a date here tomorrow, so she can relive the old days with me. We won't be a bother, really. We'll just look around Hogwarts again and-"

"Mr. Malfoy, am I going deaf, or did I really hear you say a date with Hermione Granger?"

Draco blushed. "Err…well-"

"No need to explain! House unity at last! Mr.Malfoy, you are welcome to come here anytime you wish with Ms. Granger. You have my permission to come here whenever you like."

"Really, Professor? Thank you!"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Oh yes, you are also welcome to dine at the Great Hall again when you come."

"Wonderful! Thank you, Professor."

"Your welcome, Mr.Malfoy. Run along now."

Draco nodded and exited Dumbledore's office with another huge smile on his face. For once, he was actually thinking that Dumbledore wasn't so bad.

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Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. Draco would arrive in about fifteen minutes for their "big date". Hermione had let Ginny baby-sit Hailey. She sat down on the couch until the doorbell rang. She jumped up, straightened her dress, and opened the door for…

…Viktor. "VIKTOR?"

"Hermione! How are you? You're all dressed up! Can I come in?"

Hermione didn't answer; she was too busy thinking about what to do. Draco would arrive any minute! Viktor stepped inside when she didn't answer. Hermione finally came to her senses and pushed him out. "I'm afraid now's not a good time, so please leave."

"But-"

"NOW."

"Hermione-"

"NOW!"

"Hermione, I know you're mad at me for leaving you, but I just want to have a little talk."

"Viktor, now is really not a good time for a chat! I need to-"

"Surely you can spare a minute?"

Hermione sighed tiredly. Another reason she didn't like Viktor was that he was awfully persistent. "Fine."

He went in, not bothering to close the door, and sat on the couch. She sat on it as well. "What do you want?"

"Well, Hermione, things aren't exactly working out for me, and when I saw you a few days ago, I realized I made a huge, horrible mistake leaving you and…Hailey, and I want you back."

Hermione gaped at him. "What do you mean?"

"Hermione," Viktor bent down on one knee, and Hermione gasped. Was he doing what she thought he was doing? "Will you remarry me?"

She gaped even more when she saw the big, beautiful ring. "Oh my god…."

Viktor smiled, and kissed her. She lay motionless in his arms for a second, then realized who was kissing her, and began to push him off, but he wouldn't budge. She bit his lip hard as she struggled, but he didn't seem to care. He was too busy trying to unzip her dress. She screamed, but it was muffled by a furious shout, and all of a sudden Viktor was being thrown off her by what seemed to be a superhuman force. She saw a furious Draco Malfoy. He threw Viktor onto the floor and began to punch him over and over. "WHAT-" PUNCH "THE-" PUNCH "FUCK-" PUNCH "DO YOU THINK-" KICK IN THE GROIN "YOU'RE DOING!"

"Malfoy, stop!"

He looked at her, fury still burning in his eyes. "Stop? I'm not stopping till this bastard talks!"

"Malfoy, he's unconscious."

Draco got off Viktor and stood up. "Oh. Okay."

Hermione sighed. "Malfoy, sit down." He did as he was told.

"What do we do about Viktor?"

"Leave him here. We aren't going to help him."

"Malfoy! If we aren't going to help him, we have to get him out of **MY** apartment!"

Draco groaned. "Fine, let's revive him then." Hermione nodded and performed a simple spell. Viktor opened his eyes, wincing from the various bruises. Draco stepped menacingly toward him, and Viktor was out of the apartment like a shot. Hermione shook her head. Draco looked at her. "You look like a mess. What happened?"

"Viktor came in and asked me to remarry him, and I was about to refuse when he suddenly kissed me, and I tried to push him off, and then you came in."

Draco nodded. "Glad that's over. Sorry about that."

Hermione smiled. "It's alright. I guess I should get myself fixed up, huh?"

"Yeah. I'll wait here."

"Okay."

Hermione went inside the bathroom and looked at her reflection. Her dress was a rumpled mess, and was still partially unzipped from Viktor's…conquest. Her makeup was smudged as well. So much for a romantic date. She cursed. Viktor had to ruin everything. And, no long able to restrain herself, she began to cry. Fucking Viktor just had to go ruin everything, her date with Draco…her life. Her sobs were interrupted by Draco's voice. "Granger? Granger, don't cry, it's alright…" He held her close.

She looked at him, her eyes miserable. "I'm sorry…I just can't stand it that Viktor has to ruin everything!"

"Today isn't ruined! Come on, we have to go someplace. Let's go." Hermione nodded.

"Thank you for saving me, Malfoy."

"No problem, Granger. Come on."

They stood up, and Hermione couldn't resist kissing him on the cheek. He blushed. "Okay, Granger, to get to wherever we're going, we need to use a portkey."

Hermione nodded and he brought out a teddy bear. She burst out laughing. "What? Never mind, tell me when we get there. Hold onto it now!" She did as she was told, and he was able to make out the words in between her laughter. "Draco Malfoy…holding teddy bear…HAHAHAHA!" Then all of a sudden, they were transported to just outside the Forbidden Forest. "What the hell?" said Hermione. "Where are we?"

"You'll see. Come on. We need to walk a bit from here." Hermione was bewildered, but followed him into a clearing, and she gasped and squealed as she saw a hippogriff. "Wow…why is there a hippogriff standing here?"

"So we can ride it."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"But…"

"I can ride a hippogriff now, Granger. The only reason you don't think I can is because of that damned Buckbeak back in third year. I've learned from that experience to never disrespect a hippogriff. This one's called Bob."

"Bob?"

"Yeah." At this point, Draco bowed to the Bob, and Bob bowed back. Hermione widened her eyes in disbelief. She was actually going to ride a hippogriff! But to where? She bowed, and Bob bowed shortly after, so she hopped on behind Draco. It felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but she got used to it, and Bob took off. She screamed. It was terrifying! She closed her eyes. She had always despised flying, whether on a broom, or a plane, or a hippogriff.

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Draco winced as she let out a bloodcurdling scream. He didn't expect that. He knew she hated flying, but he thought she would at least appreciate that she was riding a real hippogriff. He also went through the trouble of asking Hagrid if he could borrow Bob! He sighed as he turned to look at her. Her eyes were shut tightly, and she looked pale. "Hermione?"

She opened her eyes to look at him. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

She smiled as best as she could, but he could still see how frightened she was. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"No you aren't."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've always hated heights."

"Granger, can you do me a favor?"

She looked at him curiously, her now messy hair making her look somewhat spooky. "Okay, I guess so."

"Look down and around you. Just for a second, and I bet a galleon that you won't be able to look away."

She considered this for a moment. She nodded. "Alright then." She looked down, and her eyes lit up at the sight below her. It was beautiful. She could see the tops of trees, she could see faraway lights, she could see everything, and she felt free. She didn't realize she had held her breath. "Amazing." She looked at Draco, and saw he was smiling at her. She smiled back, and Bob started to land.

"Okay, Granger, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just close them."

She did, and they landed in front of Hogwarts. Draco helped her jump off Bob, for Bob was a rather huge creature. He led her inside Hogwarts, just outside the Great Hall's door. He opened the door widely. "Open your eyes, Granger."

She opened her eyes, and when where she was registered, she broke out into a huge smile, squealed, and started to jump around the Great Hall not caring that the whole room was staring at her. "Professor Dumbledore! Professor McGonagall! Professor Flitwick! Professor Binns! Madame Pomfrey! Mr.Filch! Mrs.Norris! Professor Snape! Hogwarts!-"

Draco tuned out what she was saying, and started focusing on her face. She looked so happy. A smile illuminated her face as she hugged all her former teachers, even Snape, though he pushed her away in a second. She skipped back to Draco after ten minutes of hugging the Professors. Dumbledore came with her. "Mr.Malfoy, Ms.Granger, would you like to eat dinner in the Great Hall with us, or do you want a more private area?" Draco and Hermione looked at each other.

"We would like to have a more private area, if you don't mind, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course. A table will be ready in the Astronomy Tower shortly."

Draco and Hermione nodded eagerly, and Dumbledore had to suppress a chuckle. Who would have thought that Mr.Malfoy and Ms.Granger would date? What an unlikely pair, they had hated each other with a burning passion back in their Hogwarts years. He watched them leave the Great Hall, and his eyes twinkled. House unity had finally been achieved.

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Draco and Hermione went up the steps to the Astronomy Tower, and were delighted to find out that there was already a table ready. It was dark except for the large amount of candles lit around the room. They sat down, and found out they were having pasta for dinner. They started eating, because there was a suddenly awkward pause. They both took their sweet time eating, avoiding conversation as much as possible. When it was obvious that they could not eat anymore, they sat in silence.

"Uhh,Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me from Viktor, and for bringing me to Hogwarts. It was a wonderful idea. I love it."

"I knew you would."

"Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

She did not answer, but leaned forward instead, and kissed him. Draco's eyes widened. Was she actually…HOLY SHIT! The realization hit him hard. She was kissing him! It took him a while to fully comprehend all this, and Hermione was about to pull away, when he crushed her to him in a bruising kiss. It was like an explosion, like fireworks went off, and fire engulfed him. They kissed, both unaware of the time that was passing by, and completely oblivious of everything but each other.

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A/N: Ahh…I finally made them kiss! I hope you liked this! Review! It's almost 90 reviews! Please make it 100! That would be really awesome!


	11. What Happened Next, and A Wicked Idea

AN: Oh god, I love you guys for making 100 reviews! Thanks a lot! That made my day:)

clawprincess4: Lol, I never liked Krum that much, he's alright I guess, but there's just something about him that ticks me off. Thanks for reviewing!

Spooky Biscuits of Doom: Thanks for the review, I will write more! Creative username, by the way!

caligirl227: Thanks!

luvhp4eva: Thanks! Yeah, I've actually been aching to make them kiss, but I knew it had to wait! Thanks for the review!

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22-Tom-Felton's-Baby-28: Thanks!

mysticpam: Thanks, and I'm glad you liked it!

SlytherinPrincess22: Thank you!

Loca4Anime: I'd never get mad at you! Thanks for the review! Thanks for being an extremely faithful reviewer!

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clarinetbandgeek07: Ah, another faithful reviewer! I love these people! Thanks for the review!

flip chick: Ah, I'll do my best to keep it up! Thanks for the review! You are also a great reviewer!

MoonyMeg: Wow, thanks a lot!

Natural-181: Draco doesn't know yet! Thanks for reviewing!

queenofthelameos: Lol, the next chapter is up soon! Thanks for the review!

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Neville'sGirl4life: Thanks! I will!

Fruitygrrl: Oh! HI! Yeah. I'm hyper at the moment, really. Thanks for the review, and thanks for being a faithful reviewer since "Growing Attraction"!

IceAngel89: Thanks for the review! I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, since it will give everything away! You'll find the answers to your questions in future chapters. Thanks for the review!

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Hermione and Draco pulled away from each other, both breathless. They didn't say anything for a while, both thinking about what had just happened. Draco broke the silence.

"I guess we should be heading back then."

"Yeah." He noticed she couldn't look him in the eye.

"Come on." They walked to Dumbledore's office and went inside.

"Ahh, did you have a good dinner?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, Professor. We just wanted to let you know we will be heading back now. We had a wonderful time, and we'll certainly come again."

"Alright then. Do come back and see your old Headmaster again! Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Professor."

Draco and Hermione walked out the gates of Hogwarts, where Bob was waiting for them. They bowed, and when Bob bowed back, they climbed on. Hermione, unlike before, did not close her eyes. Instead, she enjoyed the breathtaking view until they landed, and Bob took off again to return to Hagrid. Draco took the teddy bear out again, and they returned to Hermione's apartment.

"Well, I hope you had a good time, Granger. I'll see you soon, alright?"

Hermione nodded. Draco sighed. "Hermione."

She looked up at the use of her first name. "Why can't you look at me?"

"What do you mean? I can look at you."

"You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

"No."

"Right…"

"I'm not embar-" She was cut off when he kissed her. She closed her eyes and sighed. It was a gentle, perfect kiss. And all of a sudden, it was over.

"Don't ever be embarrassed, Hermione. You don't need to be."

She nodded and smiled. He smiled back, and left. She yawned. Then she remembered something. She had to fetch Hailey at Ginny's apartment.

"Awww crap…" She was about to Apparate before Ginny came into view with Hailey.

"Ginny? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to drop Hailey off."

"But-"

"Oh yeah, you really shouldn't be embarrassed, I quite agree with Malfoy."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"I saw him kiss you!" Ginny laughed.

Hermione turned red. "Ginny!"

"What? It was an accident, and I couldn't interrupt your kiss, that would be just evil. Anyway, put Hailey to bed, and tell me all about the date."

Hermione shook her head. "Alright then."

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Hailey yawned sleepily as Hermione tucked her into bed. She smiled at her mother and made a soft, gurgling noise before falling fast asleep. Hermione smiled at her sleeping baby, and left the room.

Ginny was seated on the couch, patiently waiting for Hermione to tell her what had happened.

"So, you kissed, finally! I've been waiting for Malfoy to kiss you, and so has Blaise. We've discussed it a lot. How did it feel like? Did it taste like anything? Blaise's kisses taste like-"

"Ginny, I don't need to know what Blaise's kisses taste like."

"Fine, suit yourself. Wait, we're getting off topic. Describe the kiss."

"I can't describe a kiss!"

Ginny sighed. "You were always this stubborn. Oh well. Tell me about the date then."

"Oh, before I start with the date, Viktor came and tried to get me to remarry him-"

"WHAT?"

Then Viktor tried to have sex with me and Draco came in and beat the sodding shit out of him! But enough of that! The date was amazing! We used a portkey to get to just outside the Forbidden Forest, then we walked a bit, and then we rode a hippogriff to Hogwarts, and at first I was scared and then I wasn't, and I saw all the Professors again and we went up to the Astronomy Tower and we ate then I kissed him and….oh, everything was so terrific!"

Ginny smiled, though she was a little concerned about what Viktor had tried to do. Hermione's account of everything had been rather unclear. "Okay…yeah. I'll be going now. It's really late anyway."

"Yeah. Bye Ginny."

"Bye."

Ginny Apparated, and soon after, Hermione climbed into bed, and fell fast asleep, thinking of Draco.

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Draco climbed into bed. The date was a success! He was really happy. It was as perfect as he wanted it to be. And the kiss…oh god, he finally kissed her. With this in mind, he fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of her.

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Ginny entered her apartment and squealed. Hermione kissed Draco! It was about time, too. It had been obvious from the very start that they were perfect for each other. She was sincerely happy for Hermione, since she had really needed a good relationship after that bastard Krum. And maybe things would look up as well for Hailey.

Then her thoughts traveled back to that whole Viktor thing. He had asked her to remarry him? And he actually thought she would accept? He was a really silly, shallow, stupid dick to think of remarrying her to begin with! Ginny sighed as she thought of problems that may come up sooner or later, and it seemed as if Hermione hadn't thought of what Viktor might do. Ginny had to warn her as soon as she could.

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Viktor threw the door to his apartment open. His eyes blazed with anger and hurt. She hadn't accepted. She hadn't fucking accepted! He shouted in frustration. He threw the nearest object he could find at the wall. He healed the bruises and cuts he got from being beat up with a simple spell, but he was still furious, and his pride had been seriously injured. He had been refused, and he had gotten beat up by somebody smaller than him. He tried to remember the person's face, but he just couldn't, and that made him even angrier.

Whoever it was would pay somehow, and so would dear Hermione and her _precious_ baby.

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Hermione was feeding Hailey the next day, when Ginny called.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, Ginny?" Hermione noted that her best friend sounded happy and excited.

"The REHAB center called and…"

Hermione sighed expecting something really, really bad.

"…he's doing better!"

Hermione gasped and her eyes widened. "Wha-what did you say?"

"He-he's doing better!" and this was when Ginny began to cry, not out of sadness, but of real, actual happiness. "Oh my God, Hermione! Oh God, they said he's been doing so much better since you talked with him! They said he's participating, and I'm so happy! I'm happier than anything-"

"Oh Ginny, I'm happy too! When can we see him?"

"I'm going to see him now, but I don't think you can come since you have to spend time with Hailey, and you haven't had much free time lately. You can come with me next time, alright?"

"I guess so, and you're right, I should spend time with Hailey. Thanks."

"Anytime. Oh, and Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"About Viktor Krum…"

Hermione sighed. "What about him?"

"Be careful, you know what he's capable of doing, and when he wants something…"

"He usually gets it."

"Yeah. So be careful, take care of yourself, and take care of Hailey. And throw in a warning for Draco as well."

"Okay. I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Hermione put down the phone with a puzzled expression on her face. She hadn't thought of what Viktor might do to get her back, and what if…what if he harmed Hailey? This scared her almost too much. She looked at her innocent little girl, whose eyes had drooped while she was talking to Ginny. Hailey had fallen asleep, and Hermione looked lovingly at her before carrying her to her crib.

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A/N: I know, hideously short chapter, but I promise I'll make it up to you in the next chapter! I swear I'll make it up to you. Review!


	12. A Bit of A Shock

Hermione and Ginny entered the REHAB building and made their way to Ron's ward, not paying attention to the melancholy faces looking at them through the windows. They were both too excited to think about anything else but Ron.

They practically threw the door to Ron's ward open, and found him sitting at a table, looking so different it made them want to cry. His previously pale, thin face was now full of color and life, his eyes now had a familiar sparkle, and his former emotionless, hollow appearance now had a hint of happiness and contentment.

Ginny hugged him so tightly for so long that he turned purple, but he was smiling. "Ron, we've missed you!"

Ron smiled, and he looked like he was about to cry, but he didn't. "Ginny?"

"Yes Ron?"

"You know I love you right? You know I love you more than anyone else? You know I'm sorry?"

Ginny's eyes filled with tears, and so did Hermione's, for it was so beautiful to see brother and sister close again, and Ginny happy.

"I know Ron."

Ron smiled at his little sister who now seemed so grown up. Then he turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, thank you for talking to me. It really made me realize I had to get off my pathetic ass and get out of this place."

Hermione nodded. "It's alright Ron. I can do that anytime you want me too."

"And Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't hate me."

Hermione hugged him. "I don't Ron. Not anymore."

When the three of them began to feel less emotional, they all sat at the table and talked about the surprise the Weasleys at the Burrow would get when Ron walked through the front door.

After a long, long conversation, Ginny and Hermione exited the ward, and inquired when Ron would be released. They were pleased to find out he would be released in a week or so, for he was fine already, but they just wanted to make sure his current state was permanent. The two women exited the building, engulfed by an overwhelming amount of happiness.

Hermione put her arm around Ginny, and together, they Apparated back to Hermione's apartment, both knowing they wouldn't have gotten through any hardship without each other.

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_**3 WEEKS LATER**_

Hermione was working when Blaise came in and sat in front of her. "Hey Hermione."

"Hey, Blaise. Beer?"

"Yep."

"Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Well, I'm just wondering if something's wrong with Ginny."

Hermione almost laughed out loud. "Ginny? Why would anything be wrong with Ginny? Zabini…her brother in REHAB is better, and things are looking up for her. Why would anything be wrong? Nothing could be better, actually."

"It's just that, every morning she throws up a couple of times and she complains all the time that she feels all nauseous, and she also said something about being a couple weeks late-"

During Blaise's little description, Hermione listened intently, and then something clicked and her eyes widened.

"Oh…my…GOD!"

"What!"

"Zabini…..you….oh….shit……SHIT!"

"Granger, what the hell is going on-"

"Zabini, you blind, stupid prick! How can you not know? MEN! She's pregnant!"

Blaise choked on his beer. "WHAT?"

"And she doesn't even know! You need to tell her!"

"But-"

"GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF THAT CHAIR AND GO NOW!"

Blaise, wanting to get away from Hermione as soon as possible, dropped a galleon onto the counter, and bolted out of The Three Broomsticks.

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Hermione collapsed on the chair behind the bar. Ginny was pregnant? Meaning….BLAISE GOT HER PREGNANT! Shit, she should have scolded the bastard! How could he? Hermione sighed. Then she shot up from her chair, a brilliant smile on her face. Ginny was pregnant, and Ginny would have a baby…meaning Hailey would have a playmate! Her smile widened. It would be so wonderful to see Hailey have other friends.

But soon, her smile crumbled as she thought of two words. Two words that should give Blaise and Ginny a reason to be very, very afraid.

The Weasleys.

Actually, overprotective and aggressive Weasleys that would tear Blaise Zabini to shreds.

Shit. Maybe…maybe Ginny wasn't pregnant? Hermione sighed.

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Blaise stumbled out The Three Broomsticks, uncertain of what to feel. Ginny was…she was pregnant, with _his _baby, meaning he was a…he was a daddy…and…they weren't married. They weren't married and he got her pregnant. He cursed. Why had he been so irresponsible?

Blaise wasn't sure if he was ecstatic or disgusted about the baby. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Did Ginny want a baby? Did _he _want a baby? And what about all the other Weasleys? Would they hate him for this? Did he deserve Ginny, did he deserve a baby? Did he deserve anything at all?

He decided it all depended on Ginny's reaction.

Blaise rang Ginny's doorbell, and it was soon opened by a very sick looking Ginny. "Oh….hey Blaise, but I'm afraid this isn't a good time-"

"I'm sorry, but it can't wait."

Ginny frowned, but let him in. "Okay, what is it?"

"Ginny, I consulted Hermione today, and I found out what's wrong with you."

"Blaise, I told you not to tell Hermione! I didn't want to worry her-"

"I needed to! I was so worried about you I couldn't stand it, I'm sorry!"

Ginny's face softened, but something was wrong with Blaise; she could feel it. "So…what's wrong with me then?"

Blaise took a deep breath. "Ginny…you're….you're…"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'm…"

"You're….preg…pregnant."

Ginny's eyes widened. Blaise watched her carefully for any sign of regret. But any assumptions that she was upset flew out the window when she started jumping around and screaming and hugging and kissing him with a beautiful smile on her face. He still wasn't sure what to feel. But he looked at her radiant face again and made up his mind.

He wanted the baby.

Ginny finished jumping up and down and collapsed on the couch. "It all makes sense! It does! The vomiting, everything! Oh my god, Blaise…we're going to have a baby!"

"Yeah…"

"Blaise, we need to do things! We need to buy bottles and clothes and-"

"We need to get married."

Ginny stopped talking. She hadn't thought of that.

"So…what do you say? Will…will you…marry me?"

Ginny didn't answer. "Ginny, if you don't want to…I understand-"

"Do you love me, Blaise?"

Blaise thought about this. Sure, they had only started dating three months ago, but those three months were the happiest times of his life. And when he looked at her face, she was so beautiful he couldn't breathe, and when he kissed her it was so hard not to burst with happiness. But was that love?

Blaise felt lost. He looked into her eyes, and saw uncertainty.

She didn't love him.

She didn't love him, and that hurt him. But did that mean he loved her?

"No. I don't think so."_ But it was damn close._

Ginny nodded, looking relieved. "I knew it. Which is why, Blaise, I don't think we should get married just yet."

Blaise looked at her, really confused. "But the baby-"

"The baby will be born. It's just that, we aren't ready to get married, Blaise. Maybe after a year or two, but not now. We can take care of the baby together. It's just that we hardly know each other, and we aren't in love. Maybe we'll get married in the future."

Blaise nodded. She was right, but it hurt quite a bit.

"Okay…Ginny? Can you promise me one thing, though?"

"I guess."

"Marry me, not anyone else, when you're ready."

Ginny smiled.

"Deal."

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Hermione Apparated to Ginny's apartment immediately after work.

"GINNY!"

"Hermione!"

"You're going to have a baby!"

"YEAH!"

After both of them jumped and screamed, they sat down on the couch. "Okay Ginny, you're going have to drink a crapload of milk-"

"Blaise asked me to marry him."

"He WHAT?"

"Yeah, I know. I refused."

"Good, you're not ready!"

Ginny nodded and sighed. "True, but I can't help feeling guilty. He's awfully sweet."

"I understand. Anyway, about the baby, you need to eat right, and I'll tell Blaise to stop by all the time after work-"

"Hermione, shut up."

"But-"

"Shut up."

"Ginny, there's just one more thing you should worry about."

"What?"

"How are you going to break it to your family?"

Ginny turned pale. "Oh. My family."

"Yeah. Ginny, you have to find a way. And the thing is, the family doesn't even know you're dating Blaise. They haven't even met him."

"Oh shit. I'm so screwed."

"Ginny, it may seem that way at the moment, but everything will work out alright."

"No it won't! They're probably going to disown me!"

"No they aren't. Come on. Let's go tell them."

"But-"

"The sooner the better."

"Hermione, please-"

"NOW Ginny."

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Ginny and Hermione entered the Burrow with a very confused and scared looking Blaise. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Percy, and Charlie Weasley looked up and smiled weakly at the three.

"Oh, Ginny. Hermione. Who is that?" Molly pointed at Blaise.

Hermione spoke. "That is Blaise Zabini, Ginny's boyfriend."

"BOYFRIEND? SINCE WHEN DID YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?"

"Mom, that isn't important. There are two things that I need to say."

"THIS IS IMPORTANT! WHEN DID YOU START HAVING A BOYFRIEND-"

"MOM PLEASE!"

"Fine…."

"Well, first of all, Ron's getting released from REHAB in a day or two."

"Oh, that's nice, Ginny, but about your boyfriend-"

"MOM! Are you saying you don't give a shit about Ron? None of you give a shit about Ron! I shouldn't have bothered coming here to tell you anything at all! You know what? This is the last time I'm ever going to check up on you lot, and I'm never going to waste my time again trying to fix your lives for you!"

Ginny started crying. Hermione glared at all of the Weasleys. "This is useless. Ginny, just tell them the second thing, then let's leave."

"B…Blaise? Why don't you tell them?"

Blaise looked like a deer caught in headlights. He looked frantically at Hermione.

"Blaise, Ginny can hardly speak right now! Go, tell them."

"O…okay….ummm…hi, I'm Blaise, and…Ginny's….Ginny's…Ginny's pregnant."

Charlie, Bill, Arthur, Percy, and Molly Weasley all stood up simultaneously. "WHAT?"

Blaise, Ginny, and Hermione cringed. The Weasleys all started glaring and screaming at Blaise at the same time. Blaise was cornered, and Charlie was about to punch him before Hermione and Ginny cut in.

"ENOUGH!"

"Blaise, Ginny, let's go!"

All three of them Apparated before anyone could say another word.

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Draco and Hermione sat down on her couch.

"Ginny's pregnant?"

"Yep."

"Blaise got her pregnant?"

"Yep."

"Holy crap…"

"You got that right. And the Weasleys didn't take it too well."

"Poor Blaise."

"Yeah."

There was a silence, and Draco and Hermione thought of the predicament their friends were in. Draco finally spoke.

"Hermione, I know this has nothing to do with anything going on right now, but why did Viktor want to marry you in the first place?"

Hermione stiffened. "Well…because he fell in love with me when he bumped into me recently-"

"Is he really that stupid? Even though he is a bit of an idiot, he wouldn't do _that_. Was there a history between you two?"

Hermione gulped. She would have to tell him the truth. She couldn't just keep it from him! She would have to tell him.

"Yes, Draco. There was a history. We…he was my ex-husband."

"He was your WHAT!"

"It's true."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it isn't that important!"

"Yes it is!"

Hermione sighed.

"Does…does that mean that Viktor…that Viktor is Hailey's...Hailey's…-"

"Yes. Viktor is Hailey's father."

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A/N: Hi! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I had to study for my final exams, and now I can enjoy my summer break! Okay, so more Draco Hermione action in the next chapter, and Viktor's plan will be revealed in the next chapter as well! Hailey will also appear in the next chapter!


	13. Heartbreak and Viktor's Evil Plan

A/N: Elo, everybody! Here's the next chapter!

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Draco stared at Hermione, pure shock on his face. "Viktor…Viktor is Hailey's...uhhhh…." He steadied himself. "Uhh…"

"Draco, I know it's hard to-"

"Just stop, Hermione. Please."

"I'm sorry-"

"You should be. Imagine keeping this from me-"

"I'm sorry! I just hate…I just hate the fact that Viktor is the father of somebody so beautiful and perfect, when he was such a bastard, and I just don't like to talk or think about it! I hate Viktor! And I know I should have told you, but it would have changed our relationship drastically, and I didn't want that-"

"You could have told me when I asked you the first time! We didn't have a relationship then."

"Yeah, but the thing is I thought you were a pain in the ass at the time, so why the hell would I have told you?"

Draco laughed. "True."

Hermione sighed. "I really am sorry."

Draco nodded. "It's alright."

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Viktor talked with his Quidditch teammate, Stan. "Stan, I don't know what to do! I love Hermione, but she doesn't love me back, and now…and now she's running off with that Malfoy!"

"Viktor, if you really love her, you'd let her be happy, that is my advice."

"I do want her to be happy, but I want her to be happy with me!"

Stan shook his head. "Viktor, Viktor. That isn't the way you should see it."

"But-"

"No. I'll tell you what. You will find somebody else. You will. Let Hermione and that Malfoy be happy."

Stan stood up and left. Viktor threw a glass at the door. No. Stan was wrong. Stan was really wrong. Hermione belonged to him, and no one else. What could he do to win her back? He would give her one more chance. If she didn't come to him this time, she would pay, and so would that Malfoy bastard and her baby.

He would turn up on her doorstep with flowers! Yes, flowers, and if she didn't come back to him then, there would be hell to pay.

Yes. Perfect plan.

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Hermione kissed Draco and soon after, he left. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Hermione opened it, and there stood Viktor, looking his silliest in a tuxedo and a bouquet of red roses. She fought down her urge to laugh. She tried to look like she was smiling out of happiness, when she was actually smiling because she wanted to just laugh in his face. "Viktor!"

"Hermione! I just wanted to give you these, because I want to apologize for my behavior last time, it was really ungentlemanly of me."

Hermione took the bouquet. "Oh, this bouquet is lovely! Thank you Viktor! You're forgiven."

She was about to close the door when he blocked it. "Yes?"

"Come back to me Hermione! Please! I-"

"Viktor! We have both moved on! I have Draco, you have…I'm sure you have loads of girls who like you! Viktor, come on!"

"Hermione, I'll do anything-"

"Oh please, stop degrading yourself, get out!"

"Fine! But you'll regret it! I swear. You and your precious baby-"

She grabbed his throat. "Don't. You. Dare. Harm. My. Baby."

He was choking. "Okay, okay!"

She let go. "I swear, if you do anything-"

"I won't!"

"GET OUT."

Viktor ran out.

Hermione sighed. She was now very troubled. What the hell was he going to do? If he did anything stupid…she shook her head. Empty headed ass.

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Hermione fed Hailey and watched her giggle. She would turn six months very soon. Hailey was growing up so fast! A few months ago she had been so tiny and frail, and now she looked so lively, healthy, and happy. Hermione couldn't help but smile at Hailey every time she saw her. And to think she didn't like her four months ago! But that was because she still allowed Hailey to remind her of Viktor, but those days were over. Now, she saw Hailey was just Hailey, not a reminder of someone she despised.

Hailey smiled brightly at her mother and began to laugh and shake her rattle. Hermione kissed her on the nose, and she giggled even more. Hermione loved seeing her baby happy.

Hermione wondered when Hailey would perform her first accidental magic. Like Harry before he knew he was a wizard, Hailey would perform magic without meaning to sometime soon. Babies should be able to do it after a few months.

Hermione continued to feed he baby, and her thoughts drifted to Draco. She had finally told him, and he had taken it well. She didn't know how he would react, but she thought it would be horrible. It wasn't, and they could continue their relationship, trusting each other.

Then her thoughts drifted to Ron. Ron would be released any day now, for he was now in very good condition. She pictured how happy Ginny would be, and how, maybe, it would affect the Weasleys' behaviors. Maybe the rest of them would be happier. It would be wonderful to have Ron back, even though Harry was forever missing.

She thought of Ginny and her baby. Ginny, who had suffered so much for the past few months, would finally have happiness fill her life. Ron would be back, she had a wonderful boyfriend, and she would have a baby. She sure deserved one.

Hermione finished feeding Hailey, and put her to bed. Soon after, she fell asleep as well.

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Draco lay awake in bed. Viktor was Hailey's real father. How disgusting! But he couldn't see any resemblance whatsoever. Which was a good thing, because he thought Viktor was downright hideous. Draco honestly couldn't think of what Hermione had seen in Viktor, but apparently it had been something good enough to last a couple of months.

Draco shook his head. Oh well. It was all over now anyway, and now that he knew, he could continue his relationship with Hermione without any doubts.

But there was one thought that made him feel guilty. Was the whole purpose of starting this relationship with Hermione to find out who Hailey's father was? Was that the only reason?

Draco rejected it vehemently. No. NO. **NO. **Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Draco sighed. He would have to confess this to Hermione.

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Viktor sat on a park bench, plotting his revenge, and being angry. Very angry. She had rejected him a second time. It was unacceptable, and it was about time to do something about it! But he still didn't know what the hell he could do.

He could kill Draco and Hailey, but he would get sued. He could force Hermione to marry him, but…he would probably get sued. Damn. Could he do anything without getting sued? Oh course he could! He should stop himself from being silly…But the problem was he still didn't know what to do, and he hated feeling helpless.

Then all of a sudden, he decided. He didn't care. He didn't care that he would get sued, as long as he knew that he had gotten revenge, and it would be something to cherish all his life. So what if he thrown into Azkaban? At least he had had the time to show how far he would go to get Hermione's love. She would see, guilt would drive her insane, and that would be his revenge on her! But did he want her to suffer? He loved her after all. Maybe the guilt would cause her to bail him out of Azkaban and they would live happily ever after! That seemed like a much more agreeable plan. And it would most likely work! So, all he had to do was kill Draco and Hailey, and that would be it!

Viktor laughed. Life was so perfect. He was going to end up happy after all!

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Draco, Hermione, and Hailey in her stroller, were together in Dumbledore Park. Draco said he needed to tell her something, and Hermione thought, hey, if he wants to see me in a park, I might as well bring Hailey along! So she did.

They sat on a bench. "Okay, Hermione. It really isn't that important, but I just want you to know this, and please don't be angry."

Hermione frowned. "Okay…Well, if you did something really bad, I can't help but be angry, so I can't promise anything."

Draco sighed. "Alright then. I think…the reason I started this relationship was not out of attraction, well, don't get me wrong, I think you're really pretty, and I love your hair and eyes and the shade of brown-"

"Draco! Just get on with it! What do you mean it wasn't out of attraction?"

"I'm getting to that! Wait! Uhh…yeah. Um…I think the reason I asked you out was out of curiosity."

Hermione looked relieved. "Well, that's not that bad, is it? I mean, a person is normally curious about the other to start a relationship-"

"I'm not finished yet."

Hermione frowned at his uptightness and rudeness. "Alright, then….go on."

"I wasn't curious about you. I was curious about who Hailey's father was."

Hermione's face twisted into an expression he could not understand. "So…in short, you dated me because you wanted to find out who Hailey's father was?"

"Well…I…."she waited patiently for his answer.

"I guess."

Hermione tried to swallow the bile that was rising up her throat. "So…so what happens now? You know who the father is…are you going to break up with me?"

Draco looked at her; horrified. "NO! I just wanted to be honest with you, that's all! I have no intention of breaking up with you!"

"This isn't important, huh? That's a lie, Draco. This information is very important!"

"I know, I'm sorry! I-"

"Shut up! How would you feel if you date someone, and you find out they're using you to get information to pacify their damned curiosity!"

Hermione stood up and began to collect her things. Draco panicked. "Hermione, please! It wasn't like that!"

"Than what was it like?"

"I…I don't know, but it wasn't like that-"

"Yeah, right! This relationship is over, Draco! I'm sorry."

"No! Please! I really like you, Hermione! I adore Hailey, too! Come on, please! You're overreacting!"

But Hermione didn't appear to change her mind. "I am not overreacting, and I won't change my mind! We're done!"

Hermione Apparated with Hailey, leaving Draco to feel stupid, helpless, and very, very alone.

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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Please read The Iniquitous Deal! It's Neville Pansy! Anyway, REVIEW!

In the next chapter, important things will happen. Very important things…


	14. How The Fight Was Resolved

ANNiEEx3: You'll see…

goldenlioness1102: Thanks a lot! Thanks for always liking it!

Piper: Thanks!

mysticpammy: Thanks, I will!

Natural-181: Yes it does, yes he is. :) Thanks for the review!

Punkhotti006: Here's your update!

Golden Angel7: Here's a new chapter!

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Ginny sat on Hermione's couch cradling Hailey in her lap as Hermione sat next to her and explained what had happened, crying harder than ever. "And…he…he…he said that…" She hiccupped and continued to sob. "That he only dated me out of…out of curiosity!"

"Curiosity? What do you mean?"

"He only dated me because he wanted to know….who Hailey's father was, not because he liked…me!"

Ginny sighed. "I'm sure he liked you!"

Hermione shook her head. "Well, even if he did, it doesn't change the fact that he hurt me!"

"Of course it doesn't."

"Ginny? What the hell am I going to do now?"

"Get over him, I suppose."

"But it's going to be so _hard_!"

"It always is. But remember what I said about you, Hermione? You're strong. You still are. You'll get through this, and you'll realize he wasn't "_the one"_."

Hermione sighed. "I guess he wasn't."

Ginny nodded. But she didn't feel so sure. It was a shame really. It seemed like they were perfect for each other. But she guessed it was just the way things had to be.

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Draco sat on his couch, doing absolutely nothing. He was empty. He let her go. It was all his fault. Hermione, Hailey…they were the good things in his life, and he had allowed them to go. He shouldn't have. He should have done or said something!

But he didn't.

And it killed him.

Him and his bloody curiosity! He was a fucking insensitive idiot! He had to do something. He needed to apologize. He needed to get her back.

And soon. Wait, actually, he should go and beg for her forgiveness right now! The sooner the better, right? He checked his watch. Her work would end in thirty minutes. He might as well take his time and walk.

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Viktor had planned it all out. He was going to kill Hailey first. He needed a bit of time before he dealt with an adult. Especially an adult like Malfoy who could beat the crap out of him in three seconds. He would killHailey about now, when Hermione was still at work. Mrs.Bradburry would be easy to get past. He would just _Stupefy_ her, simple as that. Then Hermione would come home, and find her baby dead.

Viktor decided to walk to Hermione's apartment. It would give him time to clear his head, and polish his plan so it would be perfect.

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Hermione sighed as she walked out of The Three Broomsticks. Finally, work was over. Work was a bore, especially when she was stuck thinking about Draco all day. Now she just needed to unwind and see Hailey's adorable face.

She decided a walk would relax her. Yes, a walk. Mrs.Bradburry could take care of Hailey for a little while longer anyway, right?

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Viktor reached Hermione's door. "Alohamora."

The door opened easily, revealing Mrs.Bradburry sitting on the couch and watching the television. He could tell from the look of her that she was Muggle. Oh well. She turned around and saw him. She gasped and leapt up. "Who are you? What do you-"

"Stupefy."

She froze, a look of shock evident on her face.

Viktor smirked. This was just too easy.

He made his way around the tiny apartment, and sooner or later, found Hailey sleeping peacefully in her crib. He raised his wand.

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Draco made his way to Hermione's apartment, only to find the door wide open, and a _stupefied _woman on the floor. His heart raced. There was a wizard intruder! He made his way cautiously around the house, as quietly as possible. He was very unfamiliar with Hermione's apartment, but that wasn't such a big problem, since the apartment quite small.

He peeked into a room, and found a guy in front of Hailey's crib, his wand raised, and in the middle of saying a killing curse.

"Avada…"

Draco did not hesitate to think. He _stupefied_ the guy on the spot. The intruder went rigid and collapsed onto the floor. Draco smiled gleefully. He got him! He went over to the body and turned it over to take a good look at the stranger who almost killed Hailey.

Krum.

Draco shook his head. Damn. Viktor really was an obsessed, resentful asshole. He looked over at Hailey to see if she was alright. She was still sleeping soundly. He smiled. Good.

Now he had to find Hermione. He made his way back to the living room, lugging Viktor around with him all the while. Hermione picked that time to appear.

"Draco? What the hell is happening? Why is Viktor lying on the floor? Why is my front door wide open? Why is Mrs. Bradburry lying on the floor? Where's Hailey, and what are you doing here! What-"

"Hermione, okay, I can explain all of this."

"Then explain! Go on, start now, I need an explanation, Draco! Why aren't you-"

"Okay, okay! Now, I went here to apologize about what I said last time, and when I got here, I found the front door open, and that woman lying there. She's Muggle, isn't she? I think she is. So, I was naturally concerned about what was going on."

Hermione sat down slowly, comprehending what was going on. "Go…go on."

"So, I looked around the house to look for the intruder, and I found Krum about to say the Killing Curse-"

"Killing Curse? Who was he trying to kill?"

Draco didn't answer, and seconds later, her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god! The bastard, I'm going to kill him! Draco, perform the counter curses! I need both of them conscious. Mrs.Bradburry's Muggle, so you have to perform a Memory charm as well."

"Why should I revive Viktor? Don't you want him to be-"

"I want you to perform the counter curse so I can kick the living shit out of him."

"Hermione, I don't think that's wise. I think we should just notify the Ministry that he broke into your house, and almost performed a Killing Curse on…on Hailey."

Hermione sighed. "I guess you're right, but I wish I could. I need to go check on Hailey! Do the counter curses now and contact the Ministry!"

Draco nodded. "I'm on it."

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**ONE WEEK LATER**

The following article was published in The Daily Prophet:

**VIKTOR KRUM SENT TO AZKABAN!**

Famous Bulgarian Quidditch player Viktor Krum has been sent to Azkaban for attempting to murder his own daughter, Hailey, who is six months old. Luckily, Krum's ex-wife Hermione Granger's boyfriend, the handsome yet notorious Draco Malfoy saved Hailey in the nick of time. Granger is eternally grateful that her daughter's life was spared. But rumor has it that Malfoy blackmailed Krum, so his reputation would be given a spectacular boost. Krum is sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban prison, and the reason behind the attempted murder is left unknown to the press.

-Rita Skeeter

Hermione sighed as she finished reading it. Rita Skeeter still had the nerve to comment on the Malfoy reputation. She _was_ extremely grateful that Hailey was still alive, thanks to Draco. She had forgiven him, actually, and he knew it. They were back together, which made her very happy.

But what didn't make her happy was the amount of attention she was getting from the bloody, stubborn press. They were always trying to take a picture of her and ask her thoughts on bla bla bla, and some had even attempted to camp out outside The Three Broomsticks, but she was miraculously able to shoo them away. Also, she lived in a Muggle area, so the press could not be there, it was too dangerous.

Draco, on the other hand, was subjected to no mercy. He was constantly surrounded by packs of them, due to his "heroism". Not that he cared. He was used to attention from them anyway, so to him, it was no big deal.

Mrs.Bradburry had forgotten everything that had happened, so her life was still normal and carefree. Lucky Muggle wench…

Hermione was now slightly paranoid, so she checked on Hailey more often. She knew deep down that no one would try to kill her baby again, but she was just comforted when she saw she was safe. She swore never to let anything bad happen to her daughter again.

Just then, her phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hermione! Ron's being released tomorrow!"

Hermione smiled widely. "Oh my God! That's wonderful, Ginny!"

"Yes, it is! You should go to the Burrow around 1:00 tomorrow, because that's where we're holding his welcome back party, and you need to be there!"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Okay! Bye!"

"Bye."

Hermione hung up. She laughed. This was so awesome! Ron would be released, and everyone would be happy again! It would be just like old times, without Harry.

Hermione sighed. Harry. If only he was still alive to see Hailey, and Ginny pregnant...It was no use thinking about it now. But she still missed him, more than people thought.

Hermione shook off these thoughts and went to bed, thinking about tomorrow, when she would see Ron again.

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Hermione waited anxiously with the other Weasleys at the Burrow for Ron to return with Ginny. The Weasleys were not talking to Ginny because, according to Percy, she was a "dirty whore", which caused him to be cursed by Blaise, Hermione, and Ginny at the same time. Nothing serious, though.

Hermione shook her head as she looked at the Weasleys' anxious faces. They were trying desperately to act as if nothing was amiss with them. They were trying to act as if they hadn't changed since the twins' deaths and Ron was sent to rehab. But Ron knew his family well, and Hermione knew he would know that they were permanently somber, and it was something they couldn't fix.

She wanted to throw something at the Weasleys. They frustrated her so badly. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't do anything about it. Just then, the door opened, and Ron walked in, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Hermione squealed and ran to hug him. "You're back!"

The Weasleys' faces brightened. "Ron!"

In a matter of seconds, Ron was smothered in a tangle of hugs. He laughed. Hermione smiled. Ron was back, and everything would be fine.

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Draco knew that Hermione had forgiven him, but not completely. He didn't blame her. To gain her trust again, he had been doing various things for her, like buying her flowers and taking her out to dinner, with Hailey of course. Actually, he was buying her a bouquet of violets (her favorite flower) this very minute.

Draco made his way to Hermione's apartment and knocked on the door. Hermione opened it. He gave her the flowers and stepped inside. He looked around, and saw…Ron Weasley.

They stared at each other for a second or two. "Hermione? What is Malfoy doing here, and why did he give you flowers?"

Hermione looked extremely uncomfortable. "Well, Ron, he's my...my boyfriend."

Ron's eyes widened. "You're joking."

"No she isn't, Weasley."

"Hermione! Malfoy! Of all bloody people…"

"Please, Ron! Don't be angry!"

Ron looked like he was going to kill somebody. "Hermione…you are fraternizing with the _enemy_."

"Oh she is, is she? Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, Weasley, but-"

"Draco, please-"

"Oh! So you call him Draco now, do you?"

"Ron! Please-"

"How the hell did you end up with _Malfoy_!"

"I-"

"That's our business, Weasley, so shut up!"

"You shut up, you-"

"SHUT UP! Both of you!" The two men stopped bickering reluctantly. "Now," Hermione continued, "Ron, I'll explain, Draco, stop fighting with Ron."

"But he started it-"

"ENOUGH! It doesn't matter!"

"Fine."

"Now, Ron, Draco and I got together because…well, we're attracted to each other, like all the other couples in the world-"

"But Hermione, this is MALFOY! He's the ass who called you Mudblood throughout our years at Hogwarts! He made you cry! How can you be attracted to someone who made your life hell?"

Hermione could not answer. "I…I don't know-"

"You mean you don't know why you're attracted to me?"

Hermione sighed. "Can you guys just stop interrupting me!"

They both mumbled an apology.

"You know what? This is going nowhere. Both of you are too stubborn to listen. I won't bother with you two. Ron, thanks for coming over, Draco, thank you for the flowers, they're lovely. Now, please leave."

"But-"

"Both of you out, NOW. Please leave me alone for awhile."

The two men sighed and left. Hermione closed the door, and sighed in relief. Ron and Draco would never get along.

Draco and Ron glared at each other and stomped their separate ways.

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A/N: Hi! I hope you liked this chapter! I won't be able to update in a while because I'll be in China, taking a look at The Great Wall….anyway, review, please!


	15. The Promotion, Stuffed Toys, and Hatred

"Hermione! We can't stand each other! You know that EXTREMELY well!"

Hermione sighed as Draco ranted on about Ron's bad traits and habits. "Draco, I know, I know, but Ron is one of my closest friends! I can't just send him away because you want me to!"

"Yes you can! That would be wonderful! Isn't he a stubborn ass, Hermione? You don't want to be associated with someone so-"

"DRACO!"

"What!"

"Draco, you are going to have to live with the fact that Ron is special to me, and, by the way, you are being awfully inconsiderate and selfish! If you don't stop complaining right now, I'm going to throw you out of my-"

Draco sighed. "Fine…"

"What do you mean "fine"?"

"Fine, I'll try to cope with the bastard."

"Stop calling him names. Good. Thanks for making an effort. Please try to be a little nicer to him, and try to stop starting fights with him-"

"He's the one that starts everything!" Draco said childishly.

"That. Isn't. The. Point."

Draco looked put out. "Okay. I'll make an effort, but if he picks a fight with me, I won't be able to control my temper and I'll probably kill him."

"Draco."

"Sorry."

"Okay. Thank you."

"I hope you know I'm only doing this for your sake."

"Don't worry. I appreciate it. I'll talk to Ron too."

Draco nodded. "That's settled then."

Hermione smiled and quickly kissed him, but he pulled her back, and kissed her with more passion then before. She was mildly surprised, but kissed back. This continued for around five minutes. Then, slowly, Hermione felt Draco unbuttoning her blouse. She stopped, and when he realized she wasn't responding, he sighed and pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I was just surprised-"

"It's alright. I guess you aren't ready. Sorry."

"Oh, Draco, I know we've been dating for a long time-"

"This isn't going anywhere."

Hermione looked at him, shock etched on her face. "What are you talking about? We have gone somewhere! Where else do you want to go!"

"Hermione, it's alright. Never mind."

"But-"

He kissed her, but it lacked the enthusiasm he had kissed her with just a few moments ago.

"Draco, I'm sorry, I'm being such a prude-"

"It's okay, I should've given you more time-"

Hermione noticed the disappointment in his voice and felt horrible. But what was she supposed to do if she really wasn't ready? Not stop him and actually let herself to go through with **_it_**? She shook her head. She had made the right decision. She sighed and kissed him apologetically.

"I really am sorry."

He forced a smile onto his face. "I know. I'm sorry too."

She smiled back, and went off to attend to Hailey, who had begun to wail.

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Draco slammed his apartment door closed. He couldn't help feeling frustrated. He just wanted something other than a quick kiss on the lips from Hermione, and he had almost…he had almost taken their relationship to the next level. He felt so discouraged.

He began to think of why Hermione stopped him. Was she a "I won't have sex with him until we're married" sort of person? Or was she just not interested in that type of thing? Was she interested enough in him? He shook his head. Of course she was interested in him! It just took some time for her to be ready for the next level.

He instantly felt sorry about the way he tried to make her feel guilty. He would apologize when he saw her again.

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Ginny was babysitting Hailey in Hermione's apartment when Hermione came in, back from work, and screamed. Ginny shot up. "Hermione? What's wrong?"

But Hermione looked happy, not scared. "Hermione?"

"I GOT PROMOTED!"

Ginny gasped, and smiled widely. "YOU DID? I knew you would get promoted sooner or later! Now what are you?"

"A waitress!"

"This is so awesome! Why don't you tell Draco the news? I'm sure he'll be happy for you!"

Hermione's smile vanished, and was replaced with a glum frown.

"What happened?"

"I screwed up our relationship AGAIN."

"What?"

"It isn't exactly a fight, but he's awfully dissatisfied with our relationship."

"But you have a great relationship! There isn't anything wrong with-"

"He said we weren't going anywhere! But what am I supposed to do? Have sex with him when I'm not ready at all?"

"Oh." Ginny got it now. Men.

"Hermione, men are always thinking like that. They forget to respect you. Draco's just a typical guy."

"Well, it's really irritating!"

Ginny laughed. "I agree."

"But I guess I should share the news with everyone I know…I'll call him anyway."

"Alright then. Hey, Hailey?"

Hailey looked up at Ginny. "Your mom got promoted! How do you like that?"

Hailey beamed and laughed. Saliva dribbled from her mouth to her chin, and Hermione and Ginny laughed and wiped it away. Hailey was such a big girl now! Six months, and in a few weeks, she would be seven. Why, she could even feed herself now! That made Hermione extremely proud.

Hermione gave her daughter one last smile and exited the room to call Draco.

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"You did! Congratulations! I knew you could do it!"

"Thank you, Draco." There was a pause, and Draco spoke.

"Listen, Hermione, about yesterday-"

Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to coax you by making you feel guilty, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Draco, I told you it's okay."

He grinned with relief.

"Thank you Hermione."

"Sure." She hung up.

Well, she wasn't completely over it. But it was a start, and that was good enough for Draco.

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Ron, once again, confronted Hermione.

"-and he's an arrogant, insensitive bastard! He's probably just using you because-"

"Ron."

"-he's going to break you're heart-"

"Ron."

"-and he'll laugh at you when you break down crying, and-"

"RON!"

"What? I'm just telling you what's going to happen!"

"Ron, that isn't going to happen."

"It might!"

"Ron, if he planned any of that, he would have dumped me ages ago. I doubt his "plan to break my heart" would take this long."

"But still-"

"Enough, Ron. I talked to Draco recently, and he agreed to try his best to be cordial with you."

"He did?"

"Yes, he did, so I want you to be cordial with him as well."

"But-"

"Ron, please. Do this for me."

He looked at her pleading face, and saw how much she wanted this. "O…okay. I'll try."

She jumped up and down and squealed. "You will!"

"Ye…yeah."

She smiled widely. "Okay. Okay, Ron, please don't provoke him-"

"He's the one that provokes me!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't matter! Anyway, thanks a lot Ron."

Ron tried his best to give her a smile.

_Shit_, he thought.

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Blaise and Ginny were browsing Muggle baby shops.

Blaise had complained it was way too early, but Ginny thought otherwise. She had also demanded him to come with her, because, it was his baby too. And naturally, he had given in.

They were currently looking at stuffed toys; they had already looked at pacifiers and bottles. Ginny was enthusiastically pointing out white bunnies with rainbows on their belly, and lion cubs with glassy eyes.

Blaise preferred the snake and the hyena. But Ginny said it would give their baby nightmares. And he didn't want _that. _He wondered why there were even stuffed toys of hyenas when they would probably scare the living shit out of a baby.

Earlier that day, they had looked at cribs and wallpaper for their baby's nursery. They would get that lovely, pleasant sky wallpaper, with poofy clouds and an unbelievably bright sun, next to the rainbow.

All in all, the couple was very excited. Sure, there were about, eight months to go until the baby was born, but they wanted everything to be ready.

And who could blame them?

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Hermione woke up and laughed. It was her big day today.

Her first day as a waitress! The pay was a lot better, better than her housekeeping job, which she absolutely abhorred, and her barmaid job, which wasn't all that awesome either. Yes, being a waitress was fine with her.

She showered and dressed, ate breakfast with Hailey, and dropped her off at the day care center before making her way happily to work.

When she arrived there, she realized it wasn't going to be easy. The Three Broomsticks was always packed. She sighed and made her way to a random table.

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Hermione collapsed onto her bed. That day had been incredibly strenuous. She had to go back and forth, from the kitchens to the tables, and she had to literally bite her tongue (and that hurt **A LOT**) to not insult the customers that complained about her "slow ass service", and "where is the fucking cheese on these fries?". The dude didn't even ask for cheese on his fries! She had very nearly called him a stupid asshole.

Hermione groaned. This was tougher than she had ever imagined.

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Draco made his way up to Hermione's apartment. He had heard of how stressful her new job was, and he wanted to make her feel better. The door was opened by Ron Weasly.

Both men stiffened. "Oh, _Weasley_. It's _you_."

Ron glared at him. "**_Malfoy_**. Come in."

Draco nodded, and stepped inside the apartment. "Where's Hermione, Weasley?"

"She's in the bathroom right now."

"Ah." Draco sat down, and ignored Ron, who was pointedly glowering, full force, at him.

Hermione entered the room, and gave Ron a warning look, saying "stop glaring at him or you'll get a long lecture". He understood, quietly sighed, and stopped. Hermione then looked at Draco, who looked like he really wanted to end trying to be pleasant and just strangle Ron. Hermione smiled weakly and talked to the two men, acting like she didn't sense the intense hatred radiating from them.

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A/N: Hi everybody! I'm back from China! Please review!


	16. A Trip To Azkaban

A/N: Thanks to the following reviewers:

queenofthelameos: Thank you!

T.k-Kon: Yeah, I was in China! It was pretty awesome, actually! I went to the Great Wall, which was really, really LONG. That sounded stupid, but it's true. I didn't expect it to be as long as it was. Anyway, I also went to The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square…basically all the tourist spots in Beijing. China was really cool, though it was a bit polluted. Thanks for the review:)

ANNiEEx3: Thanks!

mysticpammy: Here you go! Thanks for the review!

Pink-Honey-Rose: Yeah, I'm trying to make it as entertaining as possible! Thanks for the review!

Golden-Angel71: Here's your update!

goldenlioness1102: As usual, thanks a lot!

Natural-181: Thanks for the review!

stephanie9999265: Thanks!

flip chick: I'll try my best, thanks!

Charlie: Thanks! "_They were currently looking at stuffed toys; they had already looked at pacifiers and bottles." _If you read that excerpt carefully, you'll realize that they had only looked for general things, like "pacifiers and bottles", not clothes and stuff like that. They don't know the gender of the baby yet, it's too early to determine. Thanks for reviewing:)

clarinetbandgeek07: Here it is! Thanks for reviewing!

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Hermione groaned with controlled rage as another customer shouted at her for not giving him mustard for his burger when he asked for it twenty seconds ago. She listened to the loud, embarrassing rant patiently, and did not interrupt, because when she did, it made him even more furious. Which annoyed her a great deal.

Being a waitress was hell at the moment, but she shouldn't be blamed; she was new, and she had already been yelled at more times than she could count. People these days were so bloody impatient, and Hermione was thankful she had a daughter to come home to after a hard day's work. It was the only thing she could look forward to.

She carried another tray of food to another table, where a man was reading The Daily Prophet. She served the food, and turned around to go back for another order, when the man hit her ass. She stopped, and turned around.

"What did you just do?" She said, anger burning in her eyes.

The man smirked and licked his lips, which made her want to puke all his expensive, shiny shoes. "Nice ass. You know what? Why don't you quit work right now for me, and come back to my place? It's a huge condo-"

"No thank you, _sir_." The nerve of the perverted bastard! How could he… Hermione wanted to hit him so badly, though she knew she would probably get fired, so she held her tongue.

The man pouted, which made him look like an ugly, huge, overgrown baby who was about as attractive as the troll she had seen back in First Year. "Oh come on…"

Hermione shook her head, not trusting her mouth at the moment. Right now, if she opened it, it would probably speak a long string of curses. The man became angry. "How dare you! I am your customer, you can't deny me _anything_!" Hermione almost snorted at his definition of a server customer relationship.

"Sir, with all due respect," _you deserve none at all_, she thought, "I do not think you, as a customer is entitled to order me to quit my job to satisfy your pleasures." She said this with venom dripping from her voice. "Good day, sir."

She walked back to the kitchens to get the next order that had been ready long enough, ignoring the man's angry curses.

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Meanwhile, the unsaid battle of Draco and Ron was still underway. They had seen each other more times than they preferred, since Hermione was trying very hard to make them friends, which, despite the fact that she talked to them about being cordial with each other, was not happening until probably the next century. But they tried. They tried, for her sake, and for Hailey's. They had tried very hard, but it just wouldn't work.

They were both babysitting Hailey at the moment, since Draco had a day off, Ron loved Hailey, even though he hated being within a 100 mile radius of Draco (love conquers all, of course), and Ginny was unavailable to baby-sit.

They were trying to be nice to each other, trying to be good examples for Hailey, but failing dreadfully. "Malfoy, pass the bib."

"I don't hear any "please" in that, Weasley."

"I didn't say it."

"Then I'm not passing the bib."

"Malfoy, I'm warning you."

"What are you going to do, hex me?"

"I can when Hailey falls asleep."

Draco merely resumed reading his book. Ron gave a frustrated sigh. "Are you going to pass me the bib or not?"

"You aren't saying the magic word."

Ron shook his head. Draco was so childish. He stood up and took the bib. Draco smirked, which infuriated Ron very much. Hailey simply did not know what was going on, so she was happy. Ron put the bib on her, and gave her some mushy corn thing, with this green stuff that looked like…he honestly didn't know what it looked like.

The two men had successfully figured out a way to not kill each other while they were in the same room.

Ignore each other completely. And the result was spectacular.

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Draco knew Hermione was stressed out. It was awfully clear being a waitress was harder than anyone thought. So he came up with a way to try to make her feel better. Dinner out, anywhere she wanted, without Hailey. He wanted it to be as stress-free as possible. Not that Hailey was a nuisance…fine, he would admit it! He just wanted it to be the two of them.

He called her up, and in two hours, they were seated at a normal Italian Muggle restaurant. It looked rather quaint. It was very…uhh…Italian. Hermione loved it because it was unbelievably homey and bright, and the waiters and waitresses were extremely friendly, unlike her fellow employees at The Three Broomsticks, who were anti-social and serious.

They ordered, and their food came quickly. They ate and talked, making sure not to speak of the Ministry or anything related to the Wizarding World. Since Draco could not relate to Muggle terms and items, Hermione decided the best conversation would be about their friends, who were also a couple. Blaise and Ginny.

"You should see how happy and excited Blaise is about the baby. He's always beaming nowadays."

"I can assure you Ginny's a lot happier! Ginny's laughed more in a month than she does in the course of a year! She's continuously talking to me about possible names for the baby, what the baby's hair color will be, red or black, and you should hear her rant about clothes and bottles and stuffed toys and cribs and mobiles to hang above the cribs and-"

Draco laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the picture! I have a question. Why didn't Ginny marry Blaise?"

Hermione thought about that. "Well, it's simple, really. They don't love each other yet."

"But they're going to marry each other anyway!"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't understand it much either, but I guess it's their business."

"I guess…how's Ginny's relationship with the Weasleys at the moment?"

Hermione winced. "Not too good. I mean, she's perfectly fine with Ron, but…the other Weasleys…that's a whole different story."

"I see." Draco hesitated, then asked a question he had been wanting to ask for a while. "Hermione…are you going to visit Viktor at Azkaban?"

Hermione stiffened with anger at the mention of him, and besides, Azkaban was a wizard prison! "No! Draco, Azkaban is a-"

" I know, I'm just curious, no one will be suspicious. Why not? He is Hailey's father-"

Hermione started to whisper. "He tried to kill her, Draco! I don't think he should be considered as her father anymore. He doesn't deserve to be one! He doesn't deserve anything at all!"

Draco hesitated again. "You know… he only tried to kill Hailey because he loved you."

Hermione sighed. "He didn't…doesn't love me, Draco. He's just insane."

"But-"

"Can we please not talk about it?"

Draco nodded. "Okay, but only if you visit him. I'll come with you."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "But…why are you so bent on making me see Viktor anyway!"

"Because…because I think what he tried to prove was honorable,-"

"You find him trying to show his love for me by attempting to kill my daughter honorable?"

" I'm not finished yet! I think what he tried to prove was honorable, but he didn't try to prove it in an honorable way."

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Hermione and Draco made their way to Viktor's cell in Azkaban along with a guard, passing through dark, damp corridors. It wasn't a comfortable walk. Moans and tortured screams echoed around the prison. Scrawny and pale faces peeked at them in between filthy bars.

After what seemed like hours, they reached Viktor's cell. He looked up, and Hermione gasped. "Holy shit."

His face was…empty. He had lost weight, he was white, sickly…he might as well be a shadow. He looked at Hermione, recognition missing from his eyes. "Vik…Viktor? It…it's me...Hermione."

His eyes widened slightly, and he opened his mouth, trying to speak, but all that came out was a grunt. Hermione turned to the guard. "What happened to him? Why is he acting like this! Please-"

"I assure you, ma'am, we haven't done anything to harm him. But sometimes just being in this place for a day is enough to drive you crazy-"

Hermione felt like crying. "Viktor…Viktor I'm sorry, I-"

Draco watched the scene, and he saw the sorrow in her eyes. And he respected her even more. Viktor had tried to kill Hailey, but Hermione was forgiving him for it. He didn't know anyone quite like her. And suddenly he knew what he had to do. Something he hadn't done…hadn't considered or thought about doing before now.

He cleared his throat. Hermione looked at him. "Hermione…I hate to ask this of you now, but…can I visit…can I visit somebody?" She looked confused. He felt bad. She needed him! What was he thinking?

"Never mind, Hermione I can visit him some other time-"

"Visit who?"

"Umm…my…my father."

There was silence except for the moans of the prisoners. Hermione remembered. Lucius had been caught and imprisoned. He had received the Dementor's Kiss. "Oh." Was all she could say.

She spoke again after a while. "O…okay then."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go before I change my mind."

"Okay…I'll meet you outside."

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Draco, along with two guards, made his way to his father's cell. It was filthier and darker in this area. Haunted faces looked blankly at him. And finally, he saw one blank face that resembled Lucius Malfoy.

Except this Lucius wasn't at all like Draco remembered. Back then, his father had been this proud figure, a figure that you could tell you shouldn't mess around with. But this…this thing huddled in a corner, looking expressionlessly at a wall…this wasn't like him at all.

"Father?"

He did not react. He did not look at him, he did not try to speak. He didn't make a sound. Draco forced down a sob. "Father…it's your son. It's me, Draco." He didn't stir. Draco knew he was mad. He was mad at him.

"_Draco! The Dark Lord is getting very, very impatient with you! You will acquire the Dark Mark-"_

"_No!" Lucius slapped him. _

"_Yes, Draco! You will not disgrace me! You will not taint the Malfoy name! You hear me?"  
_

"_I can do what I want with my life! You can't make me become a Death Eater! I won't let you! Mother won't let you!"_

"_Your worthless mother's pleas have no effect on my decisions! Tomorrow, you will obtain the Dark Mark! That's final!"_

"_Fuck you!" _

"_Crucio!" _

The day after that, a war broke out which lasted for months, Harry Potter died killing Voldemort, and all the Death Eaters were sent to Azkaban. All of them received the Dementor's Kiss, no exceptions.

"Father…I know you're angry. But please…just look at me." He didn't.

And Draco cried.

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Hermione knew something was wrong with Draco when he met her right outside Azkaban. He seemed sad, and tried to cover it up by being in a particularly foul mood. "Draco?"

"What!" he said rudely.

"Is something wrong?"

"NO."

"How's your father?"

He glared at her. "You know very well how my father is." He was right. Hermione winced as she thought of how painful it must have been for Draco.

"Listen, Draco, I'm sorry about-"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Hermione. Let's Apparate to your place." They did, and once they entered her apartment, Hermione tried to start a conversation once more.

"Draco, are you alright?"

"YES."

"Are you sure-"

"SHUT UP!" Hermione flinched, and nodded timidly. She turned away. He shouted at her! She didn't think he would ever…

Draco mentally slapped himself as she turned away. What was wrong with him? How could he shout at her like that, when all she was trying to do was see if he was alright?

He put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, but did not try to shrug his hand off. "Hermione, I'm sorry at snapping at you like that, I didn't mean it! I…I just, seeing my father…seeing him look so…empty, it's…it's just so hard to handle, you know?" She nodded, her back still to him. He sighed. He shouldn't have lost control.

"Hermione, please look at me." She turned around, and he saw she was nearly crying. "Don't cry! I'm sorry!" Desperate, he kissed her.

And that kiss escalated into something more.

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A/N: There you go! Please review:)


	17. Lunches and Breakdowns

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Hermione had this dreamy look on her face as she picked Hailey up from her overnight stay at Ginny's. Actually, she seemed to be stuck in that particular dream land the whole way back to her apartment. Hailey noticed this and giggled.

Hermione was recalling what happened last night between she and Draco. It had been wonderful. She mentally slapped herself when she began to think of the details. For some reason, she felt that thinking of what happened last night while Hailey was nearby was immoral. But that night…had been nothing short of magnificent.

Hermione reached her apartment, and when she entered, she gasped when she saw Ginny seated on the couch.

"Ginny! I just left your apartment! What the hell are you doing here! How did you get here so fast!" Hermione looked at her best friend in pure shock.

Ginny had an odd smile on her face, a mischievous smile, which unnerved Hermione.

"So…what are you doing here!"

"You slept with _him_, didn't you?"

Hermione blushed.

The redhead squealed. "I KNEW IT!"

"How?" said Hermione, taken aback.

"Hermione, I just…knew. There was something different about you when you came over today."

"Okay then…is that all?"

"Basically. Hermione, should my baby's room be blue, or pale yellow, or pink?"

"It's your choice."

"But I need help!" Ginny whined.

"I would pick the pale yellow."

"That's exactly what I was thinking!"

"What about Blaise? Doesn't his opinion matter too?"

"Not really."

"But he's the father!"

"Hey, I'm the one going through morning sickness, nausea, and in a couple of months, labor, while Blaise is sitting around hardly doing anything, so I think I have the right to decide the color of **MY** baby's nursery!"

"Good point."

"So, I guess I'll be off."

"Wait, are you eating right? Are you drinking enough milk? No coffee? No smoking?"

"Yes, yes, no, no."

"Alright. Bye Ginny."

"Bye."

Ginny Apparated with a pop.

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Hermione and Draco, much to Ron's displeasure, were hanging out a little too often. He watched them be all lovey-dovey and cuddly on Hermione's sofa, and it pissed him off. He looked at Hailey in his lap to see if she agreed with him. But she was smiling up at him and laughing, playing with his tie.

Ron happily focused on the little baby's beaming face, and soon forgot about the two other adults in the room, who had stopped snogging to watch the beautiful moment between Ron and Hailey.

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Blaise looked at Ginny's beautiful face as she looked at bibs. She looked extraordinarily beautiful to him, but she didn't know it. But she would know, sooner or later. She must have sensed him staring at her, because she stopped looking at bibs and smiled at him. He felt his knees go weak and his heartbeat quicken. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, he wasn't sure) before she could affect him further, she went back to inspecting bibs.

And Blaise watched her once again.

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Hermione, Ron, Blaise, Ginny, Hailey, and Draco were having lunch together one Saturday afternoon at Blaise's apartment, which was, by the way, bloody huge. The occasion?

Hailey was now seven months old. Soon, sooner than anyone had imagined, she would be a full year old. Time was flying faster than anyone wanted.

Hailey was being her usual self, an active, happy, beaming baby, but Ginny was in a bad mood. She was trying to hide it…unsuccessfully. Everyone noticed, except for Hailey, who was oblivious to everyone and everything with the exception of her rattle. So far, Ginny had snapped at practically everyone at the table (excluding Hailey, of course, she never did anything wrong) and she had a frown that no one, as much as they tried, could take off. Finally, Blaise couldn't take it anymore. He didn't like seeing Ginny in foul moods.

"Ginny, what's wrong?"

She glared at him. "Nothing's wrong!"

"You've been in a horrible mood since lunch started."

"Nothing's wrong, alright! Let it go!"

Hermione stepped into the conversation. "Blaise, let it go." Ginny looked at Hermione gratefully.

But this time, Ron spoke up. "Ginny, you're ruining this lunch for us-"

"Shut up Ron!" Hermione said, wincing.

But he carried on. "You have to tell us what's bugging you."

Ginny felt like she wanted to scream. "Hermione, can you come with me please?"

Hermione nodded, and stood up as Ginny lead her to the bathroom.

She closed the door, and started to cry. Hermione looked at her in alarm.

"Ginny! What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I can't take it anymore, Hermione! Throwing up all the time, no coffee! No junk food! Milk, milk, milk, every single day! I hate milk! Having to stay in bed most of the time because I always feel nauseous…I hate being pregnant!"

Hermione looked at her sympathetically. She knew how Ginny felt. Pregnancy was hard. She had also broken down, exactly like Ginny. When she was pregnant, sometimes she just felt like giving up.

"Ginny, I know how you feel. I know it isn't easy to adjust to everything, I understand…"

"It's just….so HARD!"

"Yeah…but Ginny, you know the solution? It's something I did all the time when I was pregnant."

"What?"

"Well, I thought of what good would come out of all the trouble of being pregnant. _A baby_, Ginny! **_Your_** baby. Just imagine that! Isn't that worth every second of the trouble, every time you had to sacrifice?"

"I…I guess so."

"That thought is what drove me to not give up."

Ginny nodded. "I…I understand, Hermione, I feel a lot better now."

Hermione smiled. "Good. Now, why don't you wash your face, and let's go back to lunch…"

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Ron, Draco, and Blaise looked at the women, bewildered. Ginny looked okay now, a smile replacing her dark frown, and a sparkle in her eyes that they had not seen since she entered Blaise's apartment. They looked at Hermione questioningly. What the hell did she do to change Ginny's mood so significantly? They sighed.

That was a miracle that the men would never understand.

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The lunch ended, and the people parted ways. Everyone except Draco and Hermione, that is. They had decided to pay another visit to Azkaban. And, since the dreadful prison was exceedingly unsuitable for a baby, Hermione had allowed Ginny to baby-sit Hailey.

Draco and Hermione Apparated to the gates of Azkaban, and went to two separate divisions of the prison. Draco went to the Death Eater ward to see his father, although it still pained him to see his father as vulnerable as ever, and Hermione went to see Viktor.

You see, Draco had convinced her to visit the Bulgarian at least once a month.

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Viktor watched Hermione leave, after talking to him, not getting answers. Viktor sighed. He hated Azkaban. The food was shit, everything was dirty…and the whole place made you feel like you deserved to die. But maybe he did deserve to die. He had tried to kill his own flesh and blood, after all. He thought about Hermione's visit. It was had been her second visit, and she didn't seem to be showing any signs of bailing him out of this hellhole. Sure, she was sorry, he could tell, but she wasn't showing any signs of rescuing him, of getting him out of this place. He wondered if his plan was working. He doubted it, only now did he realize it had been incredibly stupid. He felt something he was sure he wouldn't feel…

Regret.

But seconds later, he chuckled. Hermione thought he couldn't talk, that he was devoid of human thought. How wrong she was. He thought she was smarter than that. He could think, feel, and talk just fine, but he tried not to make that evident to anyone. He tried to always look blank, vacant…simply because he wanted to. He didn't know _why_ he wanted to, that was no longer important to him.

He sighed as he tried to find a comfortable sleeping position on the cold, uneven stone floor, all the while thinking of something that seemed so far away. He thought of something he missed immensely. Something he wished he had never found, so that he wouldn't have to be experiencing the torture of remembering it.

That something was called home.

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A/N: In my opinion this chapter was a little too short, but I ran out of ideas. I've been thinking, should I re-edit my first chapter fic, "Growing Attraction"? It needs a lot of work in my opinion. **_A LOT_** OF WORK. So should I? Or should I just leave it alone because it was my very first chapter fic? Please REVIEW!


	18. A Dinner With Pansy Parkinson

A/N: Hi everybody! Please check out my new homepage!

Oh yeah, I also want to bring to attention the number of reviews I've been getting for each chapter, and the number of hits for each chapter.

Chapter 17: _HITS:_ **310** _REVIEWS_: **10**

As you can see, there is a huge difference in the page views and the reviews I've been getting! **The reviews are lessening**, so please, please, please, **REVIEW!**

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Draco and Hermione were now closer than ever. Everyone (including Hailey, who was normally unaware of these types of things) noticed it, but chose to not comment and talk about it.

Draco began to buy Hermione jewelry, and toys for Hailey. This raised eyebrows, but everybody thought it was a sweet development in their relationship. Everybody, excluding Ron, that is.

He was so displeased, that he actually complained to Draco and Hermione about it.

"_You guys, maybe you should take a break from each other."_

_Hermione sighed, and Draco stood up to take a couple of threatening steps towards him._

"_And why should we, Weasley?"_

"_Well…I don't know-"_

"_Ron, there is nothing wrong with us. We don't have any problems."_

"_Hermione, he isn't the one for you!"_

_Draco's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"_

"_Malfoy, tell us your plan, will you? What do you want with Hermione?"_

"_Ron! What are you talking about? Draco is completely honest!"_

"_HOW DARE YOU, WEASLEY!"_

"_Oh come on, Hermione! You are just so... BLIND!"_

"_GET OUT!"_

"_WHAT? I'm just trying to make you see-"_

"_You heard her, Weasley!"_

"_I'm going to expose you, one day, Malfoy!"_

Ginny felt rather sorry for her brother. He couldn't just be friends with Harry's (and his) archenemy. Maybe it was too painful for him.

So, when Ginny saw her brother alone, she went over to him and attempted to talk about it.

"Hey, Ron!"

"Hey, Ginny."

"Draco and Hermione are really something, huh?"

Ron scowled. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't!"

"Ron, you're going to have to become a bit more cordial with Draco, because he doesn't seem to be breaking up with Hermione any time soon. And I really don't think he has an evil plan in store for us."

"What's your point?" Ron asked, annoyed.

"My point is that you should get used to Draco, or you'll probably end up killing him." She said this quite casually.

"I wouldn't mind."

"Ron…"

"I'm so alone, Ginny."

Ginny stopped talking. She did not expect that.

"Oh Ron, come here." She hugged him. So that was why he hated seeing Hermione and Draco together. That was why he never mentioned she and Blaise.

He was lonely.

Ginny thought about it, and realized he was right. He didn't have a girlfriend during his Hogwarts years, and he didn't have a girlfriend now, either.

It must feel horrible to see everyone around him, all in pairs.

"Don't worry, Ron, you're not going to be alone forever."

Neither of them knew how true that statement was.

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Draco was window shopping with Hermione when he saw someone he wished he would never see again.

"Draco! What the hell are you doing here?" Pansy paid no attention to the lady beside him. She was mad at Hermione for dating a Pureblood. Thanks to Granger, she couldn't really have any contact with Draco. Purebloods now thought of Draco as a little bit of a traitor. No respectable Pureblood would be caught dead with him. Pansy was no exception, but she chose to bend the rules (it was more exciting that way) and talk to him, though she still limited the number of encounters. She was rather fond of the man.

"Pansy." Draco managed to mutter.

"How's Blaise?"

"Still with Ginny."

Her face fell. "Damn."

"Anyway, Hermione and I must go, have a pleasant day-"

Hermione did not like being ignored, but she still tried to be friendly, unlike Pansy. So, she stayed put even though Draco tried to drag her away.

"Parkinson! How are you?"

Pansy glared at her. "My life's shitty, thanks."

Hermione sighed. You just couldn't make friends with this woman! "Oh, I'm sure it isn't that bad!"

"It is. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Draco looked at Hermione in disbelief. What the hell was she doing?

Pansy cocked an eyebrow at her. "How would you like to join Draco, Ginny, Blaise, Ron, and me for dinner tonight?"

Draco looked at Hermione in horror. Pansy's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"Oh come on! It will be fun! The Green Serpent, 7:30!"

"I-"

"_I_ won't take no for an answer! Well, goodbye!" She Apparated with a pop, and a very dismayed Draco followed suit soon after.

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"I cannot believe you did that!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Pansy isn't that evil-"

"Yes she is! You've invited the devil to dinner! Pansy Parkinson is the bitchiest of the bitchy, the-"

"Shut up, Draco. It'll all turn out fine."

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Unfortunately, the rest of the adults reacted the same way Draco did.

Ginny was especially upset. "That bitch tried sabotage my relationship with Blaise! Why the bleeding hell would you invite her to dinner!"

Blaise was also a little pissed off. "She is really low, a creature that deserves no respect-"

Ron was furious. "Parkinson? That no good Slytherin-"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE ALL I DID WAS INVITE HER TO DAMNED DINNER!"

Hermione screamed in frustration and left the room with Hailey.

Draco sighed. "You were a little too harsh on Hermione, guys. For her sake, let's just try to get along with Pansy, just for one night, okay? I know she can be a real pain in the ass, but let's give a little effort. Besides, she might not even come! She didn't look too keen about it, anyway! But, if the wench does come, let's be friendly for Hermione's sake."

The rest of them groaned.

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At 7:30, they all Apparated to The Green Serpent, and were disappointed to see Pansy standing outside. Hermione sighed at the look on their faces…

…until her eyes landed on Ron. He looked amazed as he checked out Pansy Parkinson, the girl he hated. Or previously hated. Hermione chucked before greeting Pansy.

"Parkinson! I'm glad you chose to come!"

"I was bored." Hermione's fake smile faltered.

"Okay then…you know Draco, Blaise, Ginny, and of course, Ron."

Pansy sneered. "Of course I do, what are you, daft?" Hermione glared at her. She was making an effort, and Parkinson was just making her look stupid! Fine. If she wanted to feel uncomfortable to the extreme without someone to talk to, that was her decision.

"Whatever, Parkinson. Let's just haul our asses in there, and get this thing over with."

"Fine with me."

The pack of adults trooped into restaurant, regretting what they had gotten themselves into.

Everyone except Ron of course.

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The dinner…was nothing short of agonizingly awkward. No one was talking, Draco and Ron were glaring at each other, (due to the conversation they had had earlier with Hermione), and Pansy was making no attempt to get along with the others.

Hermione wished Hailey was with her to occupy everybody. Oh well. She couldn't just Apparate and get her from Mrs. Bradburry!

Or could she?

She was about to excuse herself when she looked at the faces of Ginny, Blaise, Ron, Draco…and most of all, Pansy. They all looked mortified. She inwardly sighed. They needed her! She couldn't just….leave them here!

It was up to her to break the ice.

"So…Parkinson? What's your profession?"

"I work for the Ministry." She said in a bored voice.

"Really? How fascinating!"

"Not really."

"Parkinson, are you going to stop being such an ass anytime soon?"

"I don't think so."

Hermione turned to the other scowling (and a particular one gaping) men and woman at the table. "Well, can you guys try to make an effort? Here I am, attempting to at least start up a conversation and here you are just glaring at Parkinson! What are you, children!"

Draco groaned. "You know what, Hermione's right."

Pansy smirked at all of them. "Yes, I believe she is."

"Oh, shut up, Parkinson!" They rest said simultaneously.

"Fine."

Ron bit his lip before talking to Pansy. "So. Parkinson. Are you in a relationship?"

Pansy turned her attention to him for the first time the whole night. "No." Ron smiled inwardly before continuing.

"Why not?"

She looked irritably at him. "Weasley, my love life is none of your business."

"Do you even have one?" Asked Blaise.

"No."

"Do you want one?" Asked Ron. Hermione felt like laughing out loud.

Pansy scowled, and did not answer.

Ron guessed what the answer was.

Maybe he wasn't destined to be lonely after all.

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A/N: So now, this story is Draco Hermione, Blaise Ginny, and a little bit of Ron Pansy! Anyway, please REVIEW! (read the a/n before the chapter started, if you haven't), and visit my homepage, where I post teasers and crap like that!


	19. A Truly UnHermione Like Plan

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The dinner had ended, thank God, and the group had Apparated to their respective homes as soon as possible.

Hermione sighed as she saw Draco and Ron glare at each other, hatred burning in their eyes, before they Apparated.

She thought back on the conversation between she, Draco, and Ron. She couldn't really blame Ron for acting the way he did, actually, she knew he could overreact and say something he didn't mean.

Ron had been insensitive, and saying Draco wasn't honest with Hermione had hurt the couple.

But that was really the way Ron was, and she knew he had just tried to help Hermione (in a twisted, insane sort of way), though his help wasn't needed.

She sighed as she reached her apartment, and, thanking and paying Mrs. Bradburry, saw Hailey already sleeping soundly in her crib. Hermione changed into comfortable clothes, brushed her teeth, and went to bed.

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Pansy shook her head.

Dinner this evening had been absolutely dreadful.

The she-Weasel and Blaise glowering at her the whole night, Draco and Weasley refusing to talk to each other…speaking of Weasley…

….he sure had changed since 7th year.

Physically.

His attitude was still exactly the same…the stubborn, pain in the ass Pansy had known well since 1st Year.

Physically, though…that was a different story.

Pansy shook her head as she recalled the way he looked at her throughout dinner like she was a rather appetizing option on a dessert menu.

She lay in bed, thinking about how maybe...just maybe, something exciting would happen in her life for once.

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"Draco, I think you should forgive Ron for what he said."

Draco sighed. "Hermione, we've been over this-"

"It was just a silly assumption, and there's no reason to be offended."

"No reason to be offended! He called me dishonest, in front of ME!"

"You don't need to get so worked up about it! Just think about it, alright?"

"But-"

"No."

Draco sulked. "Fine. I'll **_"think"_** about it." Hermione couldn't help but smile at his stubborn tone.

"Anyway, I have another issue I want to talk to you about."

"What is it now?"

"Hey, don't use that tone with me! Anyway, did you see the way Pansy and Ron were looking at each other?"

This made Draco chuckle. "Yeah. Rather unlikely couple, I think."

"I agree. But it could happen."

"I don't think so! Weasley and Pansy hate each other's guts."

"Well, they might not hate each other now!"

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I say we pair them up."

"But-"

"No "buts"! Ron is lonely, anyone can see that, and Pansy is lonely too, judging by the way she took a desperate measure to try to steal Blaise away from Ginny. This whole thing is perfect! Don't deny it!"

Draco couldn't, but he still had his doubts. Pansy Parkinson and Ron Weasley? It sounded utterly absurd in his opinion. But he looked at Hermione's face, so excited and anxious to begin matchmaking, and gave in.

"Alright. What can we do?"

Hermione smiled. "I knew you would see it my way."

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Ginny and Blaise laughed out loud as Hermione told them of her plan.

"Brilliant, Granger. Brilliant."

At first, the couple had been downright furious that Hermione was actually still bothering to include Pansy in their lives, (which was fine the way it was) but Blaise had calmed down sooner or later after he got some air, and Ginny also agreed to the plan, for the sake of her miserable brother. Ginny was worried being lonely would cause him to drink again, which would cause him to get kicked right back into REHAB.

Shaking that thought from her head, Hermione continued to talk to Ginny and Blaise whilst playing with Hailey.

In a few days, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Blaise Zabini, and little Hailey would put the plan into action.

Ron Weasley and Pansy Parkinson were in for a big surprise.

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Draco smiled as Hailey giggled at a funny face he had made. He really was fond of her. She had grown a lot since he had first seen her, in the picture, months ago. Curly brown hair was growing thicker on top of her head, and she was starting to form interesting sounds. She was going to speak her first word soon, Draco was absolutely positive, and Draco would make sure he'd be there when she did.

Draco looked over at Hermione, and her plan to get Ron and Pansy entered his mind. It was simple. He was surprised Hermione had come up with something so brilliant and easy.

Nothing could possibly go wrong. He looked back at Hailey.

He didn't realize how wrong he was.

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"Contra Excita." Ginny whispered, pointing her wand at her brother. A simple boredom spell. Ginny grinned as Ron slumped in his chair.

"Ginny, why is there suddenly nothing to do?"

"I have no idea. You know what, let's go to Hogsmeade."

Ron shrugged. "Okay."

Both of them Apparated ten seconds after.

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They arrived at Hogsmeade.

Ron turned around. "So Ginny, what…Ginny?" He turned around. And around. And around. "GINNY!"

Where the hell was she! He panicked. What if she got kidnapped by Death Eaters (who no longer existed, but Ron was too worried to think about that), or Apparated (accidentally) to an island not identified on a map, with polar bears waiting to suck her soul!

_Calm down, Ron…focus on finding your extremely innocent, vulnerable,sister. _

_  
_Maybe she was somewhere here, in Hogsmeade! Ron started running down the street.

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Ginny Weasley smiled as she appeared back in her apartment after Apparating.

Her job was done.

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Ron cursed. He checked Flourish and Blott's, Madame Puddifoots…where hadn't he looked…The Three Broomsticks! He hadn't checked there! And maybe Hermione had seen her!

He rushed inside The Three Broomsticks, and made his was to the bar. Hermione looked up at him, and looked shocked to see Ron in such a distressed state.

"Ron…what's wrong?"

"I can't find Ginny, have you seen her?"

Hermione stared at him in confusion. "No, I haven't…besides Ron, Ginny is a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"NO SHE CAN'T!" That attracted attention.

Hermione sighed. "Ron, she can, I think you should stop worrying."

"NO!"

"Ron, please keep your voice down."

He was already on his way out.

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Hermione smiled. Her plan was going well.

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Meanwhile…

"Draco? What are you doing here?" Pansy said as she opened her apartment door.

"Hi Parkinson. Come with me." Pansy merely raised an eyebrow.

"Draco, first of all, I'm not dressed, and second of all, you can't just turn up here all of a sudden and-"

"Parkinson, it's a surprise."

She snorted. "Right. Why the hell would you prepare a surprise for me, someone you passionately hate-"

"PARKINSON, just get dressed! We have to go!"

"Draco, you have no right-"

"Fuck it Parkinson, just do as I say!"

Pansy tensed in shock. "Draco, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Just do it."

Pansy sighed, let him in, and got dressed.

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Pansy was pissed. Draco Malfoy had no right to just barge in and-

"Hurry up, Parkinson!" Draco said as they hurried down the streets of Hogsmeade.

"Draco, I cannot believe you could be this rude-"

"Just shut up and follow me."

Pansy glared at him, and resisted the urge to kick him. She didn't know why she had agreed to this in the first place, it was just that Draco had caught her off guard.

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Ron was still looking for Ginny when he bumped into another body.

"OOMF! Watch it-"

Ron stopped mid-sentence as he saw who he had bumped into.

"Zabini! Have you seen Ginny?"

Blaise's eyes lit up. Ron noted how much Blaise perked up at the sound of Ginny's name. "Yeah! Why?"

"I'm trying to find her-"

"Come with me."

"You can just tell me and I'll go find her myself-"

"Nonsense! Come on, Weasley."

Ron gave up and followed him, as much as he didn't like being in the presence of his sister's Slytherin boyfriend. He needed to find Ginny, and didn't want to accept the fact that he was probably going through all this trouble for nothing.

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Draco was forcibly dragging an unwilling Pansy down the streets.

"Just so you know, Draco, I'm not letting you talk me into this ever again!"

Draco smirked at her. "I won't have to talk to you much after this, anyway."

Pansy felt like screaming. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

"I deserve to know, Draco!"

"Can you stop talking, woman!" Draco said, exasperated.

Pansy made a face, but stopped bugging him, and let him lead her to…wherever he was leading her. It occurred to her that this could be some sort of trap. Maybe Draco was going to-

Next thing she knew, she was pushed into a closet, and almost sat on a baby.

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Ron gave a surprised yell as he was forced into a closet. Before he could try to get out, the closet door locked. "HEY, GET ME OUT OF HERE! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FO-"

Ron stopped as he heard a baby begin to cry. It was closely followed by a familiar voice. "WEASLEY, KEEP QUIET!"

Ron turned around and saw Pansy Parkinson lying against the back of the closet, with Hailey in her lap. "What the hell are you doing here with her, Parkinson!" Ron looked at Hailey. Why was she here?

"I don't know. Draco pushed me in."

"Zabini pushed me in."

"Wait a second…they set this up, didn't they?"

Ron scowled. "No doubt about it. Those bastar-"

"Language, Weasley. There's a baby here, who, by the way, is already hysterical enough as it is. Thanks to _you_."

"Shut the hell up, Parkinson."

Ron started to bang on the door and call for help. The baby's cries got louder.

"Weasley, stop it." Pansy said.

Ron looked over his shoulder at her. "How the hell will I get us out of here, then!"

"I don't know. I've tried spells, but that didn't work."

"I have a question though…why would Hermione allow Hailey to be in a closet, alone?"

"I don't know. I guess it was essential for "the plan", whatever it is."

"What do they want us to do?"

The two of them went silent, thinking. Pansy finally calmed Hailey down.

Hailey looked from Pansy to Ron, and back again, with a look on her face that said she knew exactly what Hermione wanted them to do.

Ron gaped at Hailey. "Hailey. You know something about this, don't you?"

Hailey giggled and hid her head.

Pansy raised an eyebrow, and looked like she was about to say something, but stopped, and signaled for Ron to be quiet.

"What?" Ron whispered.

"I hear footsteps. I think…"

"We should call their attention! We need to get out of this bloody closet!"

"Okay, be as loud as possible, without upsetting the baby."

Ron nodded, and the two of them began to create a racket.

"HELP!"

"HELP, PLEASE!"

They heard laughter. "Ron! Parkinson! You fell for it!"

Ron and Pansy gasped as they realized who was speaking.

"HERMIONE?" Ron said.

"Yeah! So how are you, stuck in a small, uncomfortable-"

"Why did you do this?"

"You two like each other!"

Ron turned purple. "NO WE DON'T!"

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Hermione stood on the other side of the closet door. She was having more fun than she thought she would.

"Ron, be reasonable, will you? My baby's in there!"

"HERMIONE! IT'S YOUR FAULT YOUR BABY'S IN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"I am aware of that, and I want her back! The only way I can have her back though, is if you two cooperate!"

"What if we don't want to cooperate?"

"Do you really want to starve someone else's baby?"

Hermione knew she was being a bad mother, but this was the last time she was going to put her baby at stake. She would never do it again. It had been the only way to get Pansy and Ron together. It had been the only way to ensure Ron was happy.

There was a pause, and two, extremely loud, defeated sighs.

Pansy spoke this time. "Well…what do you want us to do?"

Hermione grinned. Now was for the truly evil part.

"Well…you are going to have to kiss."

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A/N: There you go! Yes, Hermione's blackmailing them, and yes, it was a bit evil of her to use Hailey like that. But it was necessary. I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I already have something planned for the next chapter, so it should come faster than this one! I need to work on chapter 2 of "Healing Ginny Weasley" now! Thanks! Please review!


	20. It Ends

"_Well…you are going to have to kiss."_

Ron and Pansy looked at each other in horror, and tried their best not to glare at the little girl in Pansy's lap when she giggled innocently.

"You think this is funny do you?" said Ron.

Hailey nodded, a big smile on her face.

He sighed.

"Hermione…come on! Why do we have to do this? Can't we do something else…like hug?"

"No." came the simple reply.

"Granger, I am going to kill you when we get out of this stupid closet…where is it, anyway?"

"Oh, somewhere no one will ever look for you…and you'll end up dying in there with my baby if you don't-"

"Hermione, be reasonable!"

"Hey, there's a very strong attraction between you guys, and you aren't getting out of there until you admit it by-"

"WE KNOW!" came the exasperated reply.

Hermione chuckled, though she was getting impatient.

"Well…do it."

She heard groans, and a giggle.

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Ron looked at Pansy wearily. "Let's just get this over with, Parkinson, so we can just go home and pretend like nothing happened, okay?"

Pansy looked grave, but nodded. "Fine. Let's make it a quick peck on the mouth, and get out of here."

They looked at each other, and Ron leaned forward…and kissed her.

And it was **_definitely not_** a quick peck on the mouth.

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The closet door swung open to reveal Pansy Parkinson and Ron Weasley in a tongue war. Hermione's mouth opened in surprise.

She did not expect this, in front of a baby.

HER BABY!

"PARKINSON! WEASLEY! STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!"

They broke apart, looking at her in daze. "You do know you're doing this in front of my baby, not even a year old!"

Ron looked at her, confused. "But you told us to kiss!"

Hermione realized this, but tried not to make it a big deal.

"Sure, I did, but I didn't tell you to try to stick your tongues down each other's throats!"

It was then that Pansy and Ron got up.

"Hermione, it's done. Let's just go home-"

"I cannot believe you would be this insensitive-"

"Granger, honestly-"

"In front of my little girl-"

"Hermione, you told us to-"

"Enough-"

"Granger, it's done, it's over, I'm going home."

"Parkinson! Haven't you realized that you should be with-"

"Hermione! Don't get started on that-"

"Parkinson, Ron is perfect for you-"

"Shut up, Granger. Goodbye." Pansy Apparated, leaving Hermione extremely frustrated.

"Hermione…let's go home. Come on."

"Ron…I'm so sorry for locking you up in the closet." She sighed dejectedly.

Ron smiled. "It doesn't matter-"

"And nothing good came from it! I thought the plan would cause Pansy to realize that-"

"Hermione, you tried."

"But I failed miserably!"

"No you didn't. Pansy will come around. Let's go."

Hermione stood up. "Alright. Hailey, let's go…Hailey?"

Ron looked around, and realized, horrified, that Hailey was gone.

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Draco immediately knew something was wrong the second Hermione and Ron entered her flat.

"How'd it go? Is something wrong?"

Hermione looked like she wanted to cry. "Hailey…"

Draco realized that Hailey was not in her arms. She wasn't in Ron's either.

"Hermione…what happened?"

"Draco…Hailey's missing."

His jaw dropped open.

"Wha…what! Where is she? Come on, we need to-"

"Draco, we don't know."

"We have to contact the others!"

Draco was alarmed at the news of Hailey's disappearance, and Hermione's deflated, defeated state was just worrying him more. Shouldn't she be panicking? Shouldn't she be hysterical?

"Hermione, what's wrong with you? We have to find her, NOW-"

"It's all my fault!" Hermione whispered, and started to cry. Draco cursed. Oh great. Hailey was missing, and Hermione was just acting like a stupid mess!

"HERMIONE! GET UP!"

"If I…hadn't…left her there for a…second…she wouldn't be…who knows where…"

Draco wanted to shout at her. Couldn't she see she was being inconsiderate? They had her little girl to look for!

"Hermione!" Hermione just kept on crying.

Draco gave a frustrated groan. "Weasley, contact your sister, and Blaise. Tell them to contact the ministry, and Apparate to the closet immediately."

Ron looked confused. He wasn't sure if he should be angry at Hermione or Draco, he didn't know what to do-

"WEASLEY! DO IT!"

Ron broke out of his bewildered state, and did as he was told.

That left Draco with Hermione. "Hermione, stop it. Crying won't get us anywhere. We cannot afford to lose time. We need to find her."

Hermione looked at him through despairing eyes. "Draco…anything could've happened to her-"

"That's exactly why we need to find her as soon as possible! Hermione, I love you, but-"

He was about to ramble on when Hermione froze. "Wha…what did you say?"

Draco took a few seconds to comprehend what he had just said. It had just…slipped. He didn't even realize he…

"Draco...?"

"I…I…"

"Draco! What did you say!"

"Didn't you bloody hear what I said!" He said irritably, wanting to change the subject very badly.

"I want to hear it again!"

"There's no time for that, we need to find-"

"I'm aware of that! Acutely aware, but I'm not budging until-"

"I LOVE YOU!"

"I love you too. Now…let's look for her." Hermione smiled at him, her tears drying, and together, they Apparated to the godforsaken closet.

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Once they arrived there, they found Ginny, Blaise, and Ron already there, looking extremely frantic and worried. "Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. She was a bit confused at the dreamy smile she wore. Wasn't her baby girl missing? She saw an identical look on Draco's face. A connection? She would confront them later. But right now, they had one primary focus. Where was Hailey?

"Hermione, the Ministry's been informed. A couple of representatives will be here soon." Ron said.

She nodded, and sat on the floor, waiting, while everyone looked worriedly at her, and occasionally searching the closet and calling Hailey's name.

They had no knowledge of any spells that could locate the missing girl, but the ministry probably did…

They stopped their restless behavior when Ministry officials popped up. There were two of them.

The taller one spoke first. "My name is Alvin Barker. This-" he said, motioning to the shorter, stockier one, "is Peter Godfrey. I heard there's some sort of missing person-"

"My little girl. She's eight months old, brown hair, black eyes-"

"What was she wearing last time you saw her? When was the last time you saw her?"

"About an hour ago. She was wearing a blue dress."

"Anything else you would like to add?"

"I don't think anything else is relevant."

"Ma'am, the littlest thing could be relevant. Tell me how she disappeared, and what you think happened.

"Oh. In that case then, ummm…she just disappeared, when I turned around to talk to people. When I looked back, there was no trace of her. I honestly don't know what to make of it."

"I see. Interesting…very interesting indeed, Mrs.Granger."

"Ms.Granger."

"Oh. I see…" Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco, who had had enough of waiting for them to do something, cut in. "Well, are you going to do something about the issue here!"

They looked annoyingly solemn, and seemed to be taking their sweet time doing everything.

"Mr.Malfoy, is it? Yes, Mr.Malfoy, it is quite easy to locate this girl, all we need is time, and-"

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY! PLEASE JUST GET ON WITH IT!" Blaise spoke, or rather, shouted, for the first time.

Alvin and Peter looked at each other nervously. "Oh well…umm…alright..." They nodded at one another, and started reciting a extensive list of words that Hermione, who had graduated the top of her class, had never heard before. It sounded extremely complicated, and all of a sudden there was light, it looked very much like lighting bolts, that shot out of both their wands, but something strange happened, that seemed to shock them out of their wits.

Literally.

The lighting bolts, which had joined together to form a blinding light which was rocketing skyward, reversed, and hit them square on the chests, knocking them out.

The adults stared open-mouthed at the scene. About ten seconds after that, Ginny decided to speak. "Umm…something tells me that was not supposed to happen."

The others nodded, Hermione momentarily forgetting about Hailey. "Should we…do something?"

Draco, once again, took charge. "Okay, Blaise, why don't you report what happened to the Ministry?"

Blaise Apparated away. Draco checked the pulses of Alvin and Peter. Everything seemed absolutely fine, except for the fact that both were unconscious, and looked like they were electrocuted. The pulse was completely normal though.

Seconds later, more ministry officials came, four of them, and they looked perplexedly at the bodies. Hermione looked worried. "Excuse me, can we please focus on finding my-"

"Oh! Right!" Said one. "Come on, let's all try the spell. Maybe it will work this time."

Ron had a better idea. "Why don't half of you do it first, since it might have the same effect?"

"Good idea." Said a guy who looked like the leader.

The leader, and one other man stepped forward, and began reciting the exact spell that had backfired minutes before. Hermione tried to listen. She had no idea what they were trying to achieve. Would the lighting bolt stop right on top of the spot Hailey was? Would it spell out her exact location?

She concentrated on the words. "Accurate Lokasyon-"

The rest, after those two words, sounded like a series of mumbles to her.

Finally, the lightning bolt emerged from the tips of wands, and…

…they were on the floor, right next to Alvin and Peter.

Draco cursed, and Hermione, once again, started to cry.

The two remaining ministry workers looked very much like they'd rather not perform the spell. But they had to, once they saw the desperation on Hermione's face, and the glare Draco was sending them.

They did everything over, and…they were on the floor.

"BUGGER!" Draco swore.

Blaise looked calmer than the rest. "Well, I suppose I'll contact the Ministry?" He left before anyone could reply, which didn't matter, since he knew the answer anyway.

Ron looked around. It was a good thing this place was secluded. If it wasn't, there would be a crowd! Surely the lightning bolts attracted people! It was already sundown, making the lightning more evident. It was actually a good thing it wasn't attracting attention, especially the press'.

Blaise returned with not only with MediWitches and Ministry officials, but with Pansy Parkinson.

"What the hell is she doing here?" asked Ginny.

"Parkinson was in the building, and I bumped into her, and told her what was happening. We need all the help we can get, you know."

Everyone watched as the six unconscious Ministry officials were carted off to a hospital by the MediWitches, and two other Ministry workers began to interview Hermione.

"Miss, how old is your child?"

"Eight months old."

They looked at one another. "Miss, we think we've come up with an answer. We're not sure if this is good of bad news for you, but your daughter is probably completely safe-"

"HOW IS THAT BAD NEWS!"

"We aren't finished! Do you know something called a wizard/witch baby's ability called their "first magic"?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Yes, when the baby accidentally causes magic?"

"This is it, Miss. Your baby is shielding herself from being found. This is her first act as a powerful witch."

"You mean that this is her first act as a witch and I'm MISSING IT!"

"Well, you could say that, Ms.. But, this is highly peculiar, you see, normally, when a baby first causes magic to happen, it isn't this powerful or this early. I think your daughter is more powerful than we realize."

A flicker of pride showed in Hermione's eyes, but it was once again replaced by worry. "Alright…well…what do we do now?"

There was a sigh.

"We don't know, Miss."

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Hermione's eyes filled with tears a third time. "Oh my God…my innocent baby girl…"

Draco hugged her. "Be strong, we'll find her…"

Ginny, Ron, Blaise, and Pansy looked at each other. What could they do?

It seemed everything was lost.

"Well, I guess all we have to do is hope-" said Ginny.

"WAIT!" said Pansy. "Granger, Draco, I think I heard something."

Everyone turned to look at her. "Di…did any of you yawn just now?"

They looked at her like she was crazy. But they all shook their heads, causing hope to become evident in her features. She turned around, and started to attack a pile of boxes. And they heard a squeal.

Hermione cried out in happiness as Pansy lifted a newly awakened Hailey out of one of the boxes.

And from that instant, Pansy was looked at in a new light.

And from then on, everyone realized that Hailey had bound them all together, and that was magic itself.

THE END

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A/N: I hope you all liked it, I loved writing this. I'm sad now actually. This took five months to write. It's finally over.

Please, please review for this, I love you all.

Overwhelming Amount of Thanks to:

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Again, THANK YOU! If there are any errors in your name or something, email me and I'll edit it.

Thanks for all the support! Check my homepage now and then to see if I have any new ideas, etc.


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